Mating Games
by campy
Summary: After her relationship with a hottie hunk goes south, a beautiful cheerleader finds romance with a boy from the bottom of the Food Chain. Kim and Ron? Not this time.
1. Chapter 1

Previously in the _Essential Ronness_ series:

Much to Bonnie's shock and dismay, cheerleader Tara decided to dump her star athlete boyfriend and—striking a blow against the sacred 'Food Chain'—take up with the captain of the chess team. In fact, to everyone's surprise, Tara revealed that she actually plays chess herself. Who would have guessed that the bubbly blonde had a nerdy side? (Confused? See _The Mad Dog Picnic_ for details.)

This story does **not **pick up where we left off. We're going back to a couple of weeks before _The Mad Dog Picnic_ opens, and we'll see how Tara came to her decision and how things played out. Then we'll see how Bonnie decides to handle the situation. Fair warning: Kim & Ron play only minor roles in this story.

Thanks to all who read chapter 4 of _The Mad Dog Picnic _and especially to the reviewers: MrDrP, mattb3671, Zaratan, AtomicFire, roycereece, JimVincible, conan98002, Matri, JPMod, Amarin Rose, spectre666, momike, SHADOW DRAGON TWISTER, daywalkr82, COOL., Firestar9mm and ri100014.

As always, MrDrP provided invaluable beta services and is hereby awarded the Distinguished Reading Cross.

Disclaimer: All characters in this story are property of … um … who is it they belong to, again? I just had it a second ago … Oh, yeah—Disney.

* * *

**Mating Games**

(An _Essential Ronness_ Story)

by  
_campy_

Tires squealing, the cherry red Lamborghini swerved to avoid the umbrella-toting English nanny pushing a pram. Then the driver slammed on the brakes and juked hard around the runaway lumber truck. He floored the throttle and twelve cylinders sang a full-throated operatic chorus as the speedometer needle climbed into triple-digit territory. Suddenly the driver saw a wall of flashing red and blue emergency lights up ahead. The road was completely blocked by a phalanx of police cruisers and SWAT vans. With no other choice, he turned hard to the left, crashed through the wooden barrier, and headed up the ramp toward the unfinished suspension bridge.

He almost made it. Unfortunately, he was just a few km/h short of the necessary speed. The sleek Italian sports car just missed clearing the gap in the roadway, plunged into the water below, bobbed back up to the surface, then was ensnared in the tentacles of a giant squid and dragged under for good.

GAME OVER

"Dude, that was nasty," Steve Farley said.

"Eh, easy come, easy go," Kevin Guberman replied, running a hand through his straight, brown hair. "So, you want a go at this one, or you want to play something else?"

"What haven't we played yet?"

Kevin sorted through the game disks on the table in front of him. "Let's see, we still have _Violent Reaction: A Piece of the Reaction_, uh … _Bricks of Fury: Cinder Block Party_, and … oh!_ Mummy Havoc_," Kevin said.

"I can't believe you play _Mummy Havoc_. That game's nothing but a blatant rip-off of _Zombie Mayhem," _Steve said contemptuously.

"What are you, channeling Felix Renton now?" the Middleton High chess captain asked. "I happen to like _Mummy Havoc_. At least you can play it with the sound turned up. Two minutes of that zombie music is about all I can take."

"Two minutes is about as long as you ever last in _Mayhem_," Steve riposted.

Shooting his friend an icy stare, Kevin picked up the controller and restarted the _Moving Violation_ game. "Har de har har. Just for that I'm taking another turn, wiseacre."

"Whatever," Steve said, rising from his seat and flipping open his cell phone.

Kevin noticed this as he pondered which virtual car to drive next. He narrowed it down to the Jaguar XK roadster, in British Racing Green of course, and the Lapis Blue Metallic Porsche 911 Turbo, finally opting for the Stuttgart product. "No word from Jess?"

"Nope."

"Poor Stevie, his honey babysitting just two houses from here and he's stuck with nobody but his old buddy Kevin to hang out with on a Friday night. How will he ever survive?"

"Maybe the Conways'll get home soon," Steve said hopefully, looking out the window of the Gubermans' restored farmhouse.

Kevin let out a snort as he guided the Porsche up a makeshift ramp and soared through the air over a police barricade. "Don't count on it. I know those brats, Jess'll be lucky if the parents ever come home."

Steve sat down on the floor and began to do a set of crunches. "I'm so glad my frustration amuses you, at least."

"Your frustration? Puh-leeze. At least you have a girlfriend. I'm insanely jealous of you, just FYI, especially with the way you landed her."

Steve paused his exercising mid-crunch. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on. Let's review. You were shorter than me when we started the school year last fall. Then you go on your incredible growth spurt, pack on the muscle, jump from the end of the JV bench to starting varsity shortstop, and suddenly all the girls are drooling over you. It was so bad I needed rain boots to walk down the halls with you. That's all fine, other than the height you worked hard for it, hooray for you. But then, while every cutie in school is ogling you, what do I have to put up with for a whole month? _'Do you think Jess would go out with me? Oh, do I dare ask her to Prom? What if she says no? I'd be so devastated.'_ I believe you'd still be dithering about it to this day if _Bonnie freakin' Rockwaller_ hadn't dragged her right over to you in the caf and fixed you guys up 'cause she wanted her posse to all go with sports stars. Then you end up dancing the night away with your dream girl while I'm stuck home dodging death rays from the neighbor kids' Diablo robots."

The tall, green-eyed baseball star reddened. "Hey, gimme a break. I spent a lot of years as the shrimpiest kid in our grade. It was a big adjustment. Besides, we're not just talking about some run-of-the-mill high school hottie, this is J–"

"Jess, I know, I know. _'Jess is an angel, Jess is a goddess, Jess is sooo pretty, yada yada yada.'_ Heard it for years."

"You're one to talk, the way you've been crushing on Tara since forever. You should just bite the bullet and ask her out sometime. She goes out with all sorts of guys, not just jocks."

"Yeah, all sorts of good-looking guys, not scrawny chess nerds. Let's be real here, I've got no shot with a girl like Tara. Not in this universe."

"C'mon Kev," Steve said, getting to his feet. "You've got a lot going for you. Besides, if Kim Possible can date Stoppable, who knows what Tara might do?"

Kevin's Porsche nimbly wove its way through the slow-moving school buses, but could not avoid clipping the back of the ambulance, wiping out the patient on the gurney in the process, and going into a spin. Before he could recover, the high-performance coupe plowed into a gasoline tanker and erupted into a seven-story high plume of flame.

GAME OVER

"Thanks for the advice, Dear Abby," Kevin said, "but I'd rather do my crashing and burning in here, where it doesn't hurt."

He stood up, stretched his slender, five-foot-five-and-a-half frame to its full height, and tossed the wireless game controller to Steve.

"Here you go, slugger. Work off your frustrations by heaving cinderblocks at street thugs for a while. I'm going to see if anyone's logged into the chess room on the Middleton teen site lately. We so need some new blood on the team next year."

* * *

"Good_night_, Jason," Tara Monroe said frostily. She didn't bother waiting to see how long it would take for the basketball star to get the hint this time; she opened the car door herself, climbed out into the rain and ran into her home.

"Mom? Dad? Anybody home?" No answer.

After getting herself a glass of milk from the kitchen, the normally perky, blue-eyed, platinum blonde cheerleader trudged wearily up the stairs to her bedroom.

She was tired of it. Yet another date with Jason, and as usual he had taken her someplace where he knew he'd find buddies to talk sports with all evening. Her task was to just sit there as an ornament, a living symbol of the place on the Food Chain his looks and athletic prowess had earned him. Then when it finally came down to just the two of them, he expected her to give him some 'action' like it was his due.

_As if._

She wished she had someone to talk to, but couldn't think of anyone to call. Bonnie was traveling to her dad's, and anyway she was so not the person to call about this ish. She'd start out making sympathetic noises, but somehow she'd end up defending Jason and the Food Chain, and Tara would hang up feeling like her complaints were totally unreasonable.

Her other best friend and fellow blonde on the cheer squad, Jessica Sundstrum, she knew was babysitting tonight—and if by some chance that ended early she'd hook up with Steve and disappear right into the Hottie Zone. Tara smiled, she could hardly blame her friend, the girl had certainly hit it big in the boyfriend lottery. No question, Steve was a prize: sweet, smart, drop-dead gorgeous and not a bit full of himself. Not to mention totally nuts about Jess.

Kim was definitely out, she'd seen that strange hover jet descending slowly toward the Possibles' neighborhood and knew that Kim was likely half a world away by now, doing something heroic. With her BF by her side.

He was a prize too, in his own unique way.

Tara didn't think any of her other friends would understand why she had a problem. Dating a tall, hunky sports star like Jason Morgan was supposed to be a high school girl's dream. That was what the Food Chain was all about.

_If only Grandpa was around._ She wistfully recalled the hours she'd spent sitting across the chessboard from him, talking about anything and everything under the sun. He'd taught her so much without ever seeming to lecture or anything, and what had she done in return? Stopped playing chess with him because it wasn't 'cool.' Pretty girls who wanted to be cheerleaders and hang out with cute boys just didn't do things that might weird the boys out. And without the chess, the conversations seemed to happen less and less often. Grandpa had seemed to start aging at a rapid pace soon after, and she couldn't help wondering if she had contributed to that.

Then he was gone.

Tara did something then that she hadn't done in a long time. She reached under her bed and pulled out The Box. She brushed off some dust, set the box on the bed and just looked at it for a while. It was made of sturdy cardboard and was square, about eighteen inches on each side and about five inches deep. She couldn't remember what it had originally held, she could try peeling back the paper covering the box's lid and maybe see, but she'd never do that. That paper was the medium for the drawing of the castle he'd designed for her. A wonderful, whimsical fairy-tale castle, drawn just for her by an architect who in his time had designed some of the most notable structures west of the Mississippi. Towers and dormers, cornices and gargoyles, balconies and bay windows everywhere. And of course, there was a beautiful princess, with luxurious, long blonde hair. She wasn't where you might expect to find her, high up in one of the tower windows, waiting for a prince to come. No, she was standing outside her open front door, ready to greet everyone who passed by and invite them in for tea and cookies, or maybe fire up her rainbow-colored hot-air balloon and fly off on some adventure with them.

Carefully she lifted the lid off and set it aside. Inside the box there were photos. The first showed a proudly beaming man in his late sixties holding a tiny blonde infant. Then more snapshots of the same pair as the baby grew into a pretty, young girl. She lingered over the most recent shot of them playing chess, the man a still vigorous eighty and the girl about eleven, noting the look of deep concentration on the girl's face.

There were two photos of the man that didn't include the young girl. They dated from a time before she'd come along. One was a formal portrait of the man and his bride, Tara's grandmother, who'd died a couple of years before Tara was born. She was looking directly into the camera lens and straight through it toward the future through the same eyes Tara saw in her mirror every day. He was looking at her as if she embodied the brightest future he could possibly have imagined.

The last photo was the oldest, a creased, sepia-toned pic showing the man as a boyishly handsome Army Air Corps second lieutenant standing in front of his airplane.

Next came the two boxes within The Box. She removed them both, setting the larger wooden one aside for the moment and focusing on the smaller. An oblong box, like from a jewelry store, hinged on one side. Tara opened it and looked at the object inside. It was a medal, cast of bronze in the form of a cross with four arms all the same length. They started out narrow in the middle and got wider at the ends, and there was a four-bladed airplane propeller superimposed over them. The bronze cross hung from a short length of blue ribbon with two wide white stripes near the edges and a third, which had a slightly narrower red stripe on it, down the center. The Army had awarded Grandpa the medal for something he'd done a long time ago in World War Two, but he'd never told her the story.

The Box was almost empty now. Tara removed the final object, a wooden chessboard. This she placed on her desk, turning it so the row closest to her had a dark square on the left and a light one on the right. Then she opened the wooden box and one by one took out the thirty-two chessmen, carefully setting each one on its assigned home square.

When the board was set up, she picked up the white king. She turned it over and peeled back a bit of the circle of green felt on the base. Hidden under the felt was a shiny penny, minted in the year of Tara's birth. Grandpa had carved these chessmen by hand for her, made the board as well, and he'd put pennies under the felt on all of them.

All but the white queen; she got a dime. She was special.

Tara put the king back in place, and then she reached over him and pushed the pawn in front of him ahead two squares.

Then she sat back and started to cry.

She cried for just a little while, then she put everything back into The Box and started to put it back under the bed. She paused, then decided to open it again and took out the chessboard and the men. She thought she'd keep them handy.

It was time to make a few changes.

Just a few. Tara mostly liked her life. She loved being a cheerleader; her friends on the squad were great. Sure, Bonnie could be a little bossy … okay, extremely bossy. But Tara figured that was partly her own fault. _If Bonnie's 'advice' doesn't work for you, make your own decision. If she doesn't like it, that's her problem. _That's what Grandpa would have said.

Tara also enjoyed being popular and dating lots of boys. Boys were so … different. It was fun to be around them, to flirt with them, dance with them, even kiss them.

What had to go from her life was the whole 'Food Chain' thing. That wasn't the way to choose who to hang with. Kim had figured that out, and she now had a wonderful BF who adored and supported her. Tara had … Jason.

_At least until the next time I see him._

She looked at her chessboard again, and thought it would be nice to find a friend she could play with once in a while. But where? Sure, there was a chess club at school, but that was weeks away, and cheerleading would certainly interfere with the meetings.

Wasn't there something about online chess at the Middleton teen web site? She thought she remembered seeing a poster about that at the school last spring. She and Bonnie had probably stuck a Prom poster over it when they were on dance committee.

She went into her mom's home office and popped the lid of her laptop, waking it from standby mode. The web browser was already open, with the site for Mom's real estate office loaded. She scrolled down and found a link to the Middleton community home page, which led her to the teen site.

Aha! There it was, under the 'Game Room' menu. _All right! Not bad for a 'ditzy blonde.'_

She clicked the link, and found herself at a 'Choose your Screen Name and Avatar' page. What should she call herself in here? How about that nickname Grandpa used to have for her when she was little? The one from his drawing tool thingie that he used when he drew her castle? Yeah, that would work. And an avatar … she scrolled through the selection of images. Ah, what could be better: a chess piece. And it was even a white queen!

She selected it, and then clicked to continue into the chess room.

* * *

Steve's security guard finally ran out of cinder blocks to hurl at the throng of street thugs, and was overcome.

GAME OVER

He stood up and stretched, then looked over at Kevin, who was suddenly staring intently at the computer screen. "All yours, Kev."

"Go again if you want," Kevin said as he began typing. "Someone new just came into the chess room."

**T-square:** Hello? Anyone in here?

**Cap'n K:** Hey, T-square, welcome to the chess room. Looking for a game?

**T-square:** Sure.

They began to play the online chess applet.

Steve crossed to the window and peered through the rain toward the road. As he watched, the headlights of a car came into view. Anticipation burned brightly for a moment, but alas! He watched, disappointed, as the car passed the Conways' driveway and continued down the street.

He did a set of push-ups, then sat down to play the video game again. After a few minutes, though, he grew bored. He quit the game and, after checking out the window again, peeked over Kevin's shoulder to watch the chess match.

"So who's your new player?"

"Don't know. Says he's in our grade at school. Not that good, but there's potential. I'm already up a knight and two pawns."

Kevin sat up straighter and his eyes widened as T-square's latest move appeared.

"Oh, you fool, that's gonna cost you! Your queen is mine!" He snickered evilly.

Just then, Steve's cell signaled an incoming text message.

**f9ly free!  
c u in 2  
xxxx j**

Steve stepped out onto the farmhouse's full-width porch. The rain had mostly stopped, and a crescent moon was peeking through a break in the thick clouds. A minute later Jessica emerged from the Conways' house and waved to him. He watched as she declined Mr. Conway's offer of a ride and dashed the short distance to the farmhouse on long, athletic legs. She bounded up the steps to the porch, flung herself into her boyfriend's arms, and gave him a kiss that nearly straightened out his dark, curly hair.

"Auggghhh!" she groaned after they stopped for breath. "Remind me never to sit for those little terrors again! No amount of money is worth it."

Steve ran his fingers through her silken tresses. "Kevin told me the kids were brats."

"Well, I wish he'd told me before I agreed to the stupid job." She drew Steve in for another long smooch.

"Ahhh, I think I'm beginning to recover," the svelte blonde murmured. "So, big boy, I've got an hour before I have to be home, how about we go someplace a little more private?"

Steve looked into her sapphire blue eyes and grinned. "I'm likin' the way you think, babe. Let's just go tell Kevin I'm leaving."

He moved to go back in the house, but Jess stopped him. "Wait, maybe we should stay and hang out with Kevin for a while? I know he kinda resents me for taking so much of your time lately."

"Nah, Kev's cool, he just got a new online chess buddy tonight. Though if you really want to do something for him, fix him up with one of your friends. You think Tara would go out with him?"

Jessica pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Tara? I don't know," she said. "I think she's getting tired of Jason, but I don't really see Kevin as her type. I might try him with Liz, she's so petite and pretty. Or Hope. Oh! Would Hope's 'rents ever love it if she brought Kevin home! Honor student, son of two doctors, aiming for med school himself, they'd be mailing out wedding invitations." The freckled blonde then grinned wryly. "'Course, knowing Hope, that probably means she _wouldn't_ go for him …"

"Well, Kevin might go for Hope or Liz, but he's had a huge crush on Tara for a long time. He's like me: got it bad for a blonde."

The couple went into the house and found Kevin in deep absorption at the computer.

"Kev, Jess is here. We're taking off."

Kevin's gaze didn't waver. "Okay. See ya."

"So, you beat the new kid yet?"

"No," Kevin said. "Dude nearly skunked me. If I'd taken that queen, he'd've mated me in two. As it is he snagged my bishop. I've got him on the run now, though."

"Okay, see you tomorrow," Steve said.

"Bye, Kev," Jess added.

The two teens left.

Kevin's opponent was resourceful, keeping his attacks at bay for quite some time, but in the end, the chess captain's black pieces were able to pin down the white forces. With checkmate inevitable, T-square resigned.

**T-square: **Congratulations, Cap'n K.

**Cap'n K:** Thanks, you played well.

**T-square: **Thanks, that was fun. I haven't played in such a long time.

**Cap'n K:** Really? You didn't seem rusty at all. That queen trap nearly caught me.

**T-square: **Thanks. My grandpa used to get me with those all the time.

**Cap'n K:** You ever think about joining the team next year?

**T-square:** I don't know, that'd be hard. I already have an extracurric that takes up all my afternoons.

Kevin wondered what that could be. A sports team? Marching band?

**Cap'n K:** Bummer, we could sure use you, could probably take fourth board right away, maybe move up to third or even second by the end of the year.

**T-square:** I don't know. I hope we can do this again sometime, though. I really enjoyed it.

**Cap'n K:** Sure thing, dude. I'm here most every day.

**T-square:** Maybe tomorrow, then? Oh, and btw, Cap'n K, I'm no dude. I'm a girl.

_to be continued ..._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is here. I apologize for the delay. A few sections took a while to beat into submission. The good news is that Chapter 3 is already well under way. Or maybe that's bad news. Depends on your point of view, I suppose.

Thanks to all who read Chapter 1 and to the reviewers: Jeriddian, spectre666, cpneb, MrDrP, conan98002, AtomicFire, Yankee Bard, Dr. J0nes, momike, daywalkr82, Zaratan, mattb3671, DuffKilliganFan, Commander Argus, dartblade, and CastaS.

Special thanks to MrDrP for beta reading.

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are property of Disney. Even the ones they never used.

* * *

**Mating Games**

(An _Essential Ronness_ Story)

by  
_campy_

_Chapter 2 _

Tara awoke Saturday morning feeling invigorated, better than she had in weeks.

_Things to do today, _she thought as she got ready for her day, _go to the mall with Jess, dump Jason, play chess with Cap'n K._

She'd enjoyed the game and the chatting online last night. They hadn't revealed very much about themselves, just general stuff about school and such, but it had been fun.

She grinned as she recalled how Cap'n K had thought she was a guy until right before she signed off. That was something she definitely was not used to.

Tara knew she was considered one of the prettiest girls at Middleton High, and most of her interactions with boys were colored by that fact. Boys generally saw her as a pretty face and a nice figure, and that was usually the end of it. When a boy talked to her, he was more often than not 'performing' in some way, either trying to secure a date, or if he already had a date, trying to kiss her. And if he'd kissed her … she blushed.

K had just been himself. Tara found that refreshing. She was sure K was a boy—it was clear that he was the MHS chess team captain, and Tara had a vague idea who that was. Some short kid, honor student, his name was Kenny or something; she'd never taken much notice of him. Besides, just from the way he wrote, the 'voice' that she heard as she read his words on-screen, he had to be a boy. Tara was an expert on boys.

She decided it would be best to keep their conversations casual for a while. She didn't want him to know who T-square was just yet. She felt a twinge of guilt over that; it was as if she was ashamed of some part of herself. That wasn't it; Tara just didn't want to take the chance of changing things between T-square and Cap'n K yet. Not to be big-heady or anything, but she was the only Tara around, and people in school knew who she was.

* * *

First task for the day: shopping and dishing with Jess. Her squadmate had borrowed her mom's car and came by to pick Tara up. 

"So," the taller girl asked once Tara was buckled in and they got rolling, "you have a good date with Jason last night?"

"I had my last date ever with Jason," Tara said, "and that alone makes it one of the best."

"You guys broke up?"

"Not yet, but next time I talk to him I'm dumping him."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," Jess said. "You didn't seem to be enjoying dating him."

"I wasn't. It was like we were expected to date, the big basketball star and the cheerleader. All he ever wanted to do was show me off to his sports buddies, and then grope me when he got me alone. Like I owed him because he was some 'big hero.' Ha! Kim and Ron save people, they're heroes. Just 'cause he scored thirty-four points against West Whitewater in that playoff game, he seemed to think I owed him second base …"

Jess eyed her shapely friend as she waited at a traffic light. "Yeah, I'd say another point or two would've given him a better case, just from the numerology angle."

Tara reddened. "Oh, can it, Sundstrum. Being serious here."

"Come on, T, Jason's a boy. That's what they do."

"Is that what Steve does? You told us you had to 'force his hand,' so to speak."

Jess shot her friend a sly grin. "Steve had no experience with girls 'til me, and he had this idealized view of me at first, like I was pure and untouchable. He's adapted quite well to the idea that I'm a flesh-and-blood woman with needs and desires."

"Oh, I'll bet he has."

Jess piloted the Honda into the mall parking lot and located a good space. "Say, if you and Jason are finished, Steve has this friend –"

Tara held up a hand. "Stop right there, Jess. So not interested in a set-up."

"But –"

"Don't want to hear it. I don't need to jump right back into the fray. I'll take some 'me' time, maybe find someone at Mad Dog Picnic."

Jess kept quiet. With Bonnie out of town, this was the best chance a boy like Kevin would ever have with Tara—Bonnie's opinion mattered a lot to Tara, and the Food Chain was all-important to Bonnie. But if Tara wasn't receptive to a fix-up, Jess knew better than to press the issue.

* * *

The clouds kept their rain to themselves for a change, so the Middleton Tee-Ball League was able to play that Saturday. 

At Middleton Elementary's north diamond, a batter swung and topped the ball, knocking it off the tee and sending it rolling weakly toward first base. The fielder, a little blonde girl named Katie, picked it up and beat the batter to the bag for the final out.

Coach Farley jumped up from the bench. "All right, team, great game." He high-fived all his young charges and made sure they congratulated their opponents.

He and Assistant Coach Guberman began to collect the tee-ball equipment while their players went off to have ice cream with their parents.

"So, you're sure you don't have any idea who T-square could be?" Kevin asked Steve.

"None at all," Steve replied, "If you think she does band or a sport, there's lots of possibilities. Plenty of smart girls play sports, it looks good on college applications."

"He's right, Guberman," League Coordinator Steve Barkin said. "You should think about a sport next fall. Those Ivy League schools you're looking at want more than just good grades, they want well-rounded kids. You've done well with the chess team, and you and Farley here are getting community service credit for coaching these kids, but athletics are important too. You could go for something like cross country, swimming, or fencing. Middleton High has plenty of sports that smaller men can excel in."

"I'll think about it, Mr. B," Kevin said.

"Farley, you still set on the Air Force Academy?"

"Yessir, Mr. B."

"Well, I still wish you'd consider the Point," the Army veteran said. "Joining the Long Gray Line. Fancy-pants jet jockeys have the glamour, but the guys who get down in the mud, they're the real military."

"I appreciate your advice, Mr. B," Steve said. "Say, maybe you could help us. You're the AD, you know any girl athletes at school who play chess?"

"No, I don't. Why?"

"Kevin here has a secret admirer," Steve joked.

Kevin punched his friend in the arm. "Shut up!"

"Right," the big man said. "Well, carry on."

He walked away, thinking _that Guberman, good kid, smart kid, heart of a warrior. Too bad girls his age don't usually go for the small and weak. But if Stoppable can get a girl …_

* * *

Tara and Jess spent an enjoyable couple of hours trying on various outfits in different stores, finally ending up in teen fashion nirvana, aka Club Banana. 

Tara noticed of a display of exercise wear. "Oh, this is just what I need—something for the squad's weight-room sessions next year." She started browsing through the hanging outfits.

Jessica began looking on the other side of the big circular rack. She pulled out a two-piece set in Tara's size. "Here's one that would be great on you, T."

They were joined by an attractive African-American salesgirl. "Oh, you've got to try that one on, Tara. That bod of yours is perfect for that outfit," Monique said.

Tara took the outfit and the trio headed for the dressing rooms. While Tara changed, Jess browsed through a selection of tops laid out on a table.

"The striped one's cute," Monique said.

"Yeah, I like horizontal stripes," Jess said. "They give me the optical illusion of a chest."

Monique gave the tall blonde an appraising look. "Girl, you got your share goin' on in that department."

"I'm on the same cheer squad as Bonnie and Tara. Compared to them … not so much."

"Well, I bet that MFBF of yours has no complaints."

Jess looked confused. "Em effbee huh?"

"She means 'Mighty Fine Boyfriend,' Jess," came a familiar voice from behind her.

Middleton's cheer captain, teen hero and expert in Monique-speak had come to do some extreme shopping.

"Oh, hey Kim," said Jess, turning around. "Heard you had a mission last night. How'd it go?"

"It was no big. Just Duff Killigan threatening some pro golf tournament. We're still not even sure what he wanted. He kept ranting about the pros going back to 'gutties' and 'niblicks' and 'hickory shaft mashies,' whatever that means, 'til we took him down."

"So where's your BF?" Monique asked.

"I left him over at Victoria's Circuits."

"Uh, guys? I'm not sure about this."

Kim, Jess and Monique turned at the sound of Tara's voice. Six eyes went round as saucers and three jaws dropped.

Kim was first to find her voice. "Tara, you look … beautiful." The other two nodded mutely.

Tara stood there looking fit and strong as a comic-book superheroine, clad in a tank top and bike shorts set in a neon-bright shade of pink with contrasting black panels. The two pieces were skintight spandex and, aside from a two-inch gap at the waist, flowed over her lush curves as if painted on, with nary a stray bulge or roll to be seen.

She tugged at the low-cut top, trying to increase its coverage. "I don't know. I feel like I'm gonna pop out of here."

Monique shook her head. "Don't you worry about that, girl. That's a built-in MarvelBra in that top. They're not coming out of there 'til you say so."

She walked all around the curvy blonde, looking her over from every angle.

She then turned Tara toward a mirror and made her stand up straight and take a good look at herself. "Tara, the only way that outfit could look any better is if I bought it for myself. And since this girl don't do workouts, that ain't happening."

"You do look fantastic, T," Jess agreed.

Tara took a long look, turning this way and that, and then smiled, liking what she saw.

Kim and Jess exchanged a look. Then Jess wordlessly handed her captain one of the tops from the display table.

"Ooh, stripes. Spankin'!" the redhead said.

Tara decided to buy the outfit, and was about to change back into her street clothes when another Club Banana shopper was heard from.

"Whoa, Tara! Lookin' hot!" Jason Morgan, toting a bag from the mall's sporting goods emporium, grinned lasciviously at her, his eyes roaming up and down her voluptuous form. "Hey, you need any help peeling that outfit off, the Big J is here for you, babe."

"Jason!" Tara exclaimed. Jess, looking uncomfortable, leaned over and whispered to Kim and Monique.

The towering basketball star took a step toward Tara and bent down for a kiss, but she pulled away.

"What's going on, Tara?"

"Not now, Jason. Let's talk about this later."

"Talk about what, babe? You got something on your mind, say it right now." He reached out to grab her arm. Kim moved to intervene, but Monique got there first.

"Back off, Stretch," she ordered the hoopster. "You think you can come into my store and harass my friends and customers, you better think a little more. The girl doesn't want to talk to you right now, so you just turn around and march your size thirteens out of here while you still can."

"It's all right, Monique," Tara said, "I might as well tell him right here. There is no next date for us, Jason—we're through. I'm tired of sitting around while you talk hoops with your buds every time we go out. I'm dumping you."

"But Tara, you can't do this, we're great together." He reached for her again.

Kim's hand snaked out and clamped around his wrist, stopping him. "You try to put that hand on my friend again, sport, you'll need a bag to carry it home."

Jason took a step back and Kim relinquished his arm. He rubbed his wrist as he regarded the three determined girls forming a wall between him and his ex-GF. Eyes of emerald, obsidian and sapphire stared up at him, daring him to make a move.

"You heard the girl, Stretch," Monique said coolly. "Now, I don't think there's anything else in this store for you, so you can just take your ball and go home."

"Okay, Tara, if that's the way you want it. I don't need this. There's lots of girls out there who want to go out with me. Most of them are a lot more fun, too." He turned and walked away.

Tara's three defenders watched until he was out of sight, then they turned back to their friend.

"Are you okay, T?" Jess said softly.

Tara nodded.

"Girlfriend, you are _way _too fine for that jerk," Monique said.

"Yeah, you deserve a nice guy, Tara, not a self-centered creep like him," Kim added.

"Thanks, guys," Tara said.

"So, you still want the outfit?" Monique asked.

"Oh, you betcha," Tara said, grinning, looking in the mirror again. "Jason may be a creep and a lech, but he's right about one thing: I look hot in this!"

* * *

T-square and Cap'n K played and chatted for a couple of hours that night, and again on the next couple of evenings. Tara didn't win any games, but she was able to make K work hard for his victories, earning his praise. She continued to be pleased with the chats, too. K seemed just as comfortable with T-square the girl as he'd been when he assumed she was male. 

So when Wednesday turned out to be yet another in the series of dreary, rainy days Middleton was enduring, Tara was happy to find Cap'n K logged in to the teen site. She curled up on the family room sofa with Mom's laptop and began another game.

After about twenty minutes of play, Tara's mother came looking for her computer.

"Tara, I'm taking some clients around town this afternoon to look at houses, and I'm going to need to bring my laptop. You have five minutes to finish what you're doing."

"Okay, Mom."

**T-square:** Gonna have to quit, K. Mom needs her computer.

**Cap'n K:** Too bad.

**T-square: **I know. I'm gonna be sooo bored. I hate this rain.

The cursor blinked for a few moments, then a response came.

**Cap'n K:** Maybe we could continue this face-to-face?

Tara was torn. The current arrangement was nice in a way, but she was getting tired of having to filter herself and keep the conversation so generic for the sake of her anonymity. Maybe it was time to go public.

**T-square: **Where do you live?

**Cap'n K:** You know the old farmhouse on Aspen View Rd? That's my house.

**T-square: **That's not far. I can be there in 15.

**Cap'n K:** See you then. K out.

Tara logged off, then wrote a quick note to her mom and left it with the laptop on the sofa table. She found an old hooded rain poncho that fit her and went out into the weather.

As she walked, she couldn't help giggling at what her friends would think of her appearance. Bonnie would undoubtedly declare the hideous blue poncho a fashion never-ever with a capital EVER. Under that, she wore a plain, many-times laundered green sleeveless top, faded blue jeans cut off a few inches above the knee, and old sneakers. To go out like that in public at all was bad enough, but she was going to meet a _boy_.

She felt so giddy, she started leaping over, and then splashing through, the many puddles along the route as she walked. Soon she reached Aspen View Road and easily found the antique farmhouse, one of the few homes still around from before the 1904 Fair.

She climbed the steps to the front porch and rang the doorbell. In a few moments a slim boy about her height, with grayish blue eyes and straight brown hair hanging low over his forehead answered the door. He was wearing khaki Cornet Lad cargo shorts and a green T-shirt with DARTMOUTH across the front in large white letters. He took one look at her and seemed to turn to stone.

_to be continued …_

* * *

**Author's Note:** The views expressed by Mr. Barkin are his own, and do not reflect those of the author. The author has the deepest respect for all who wear the uniform of their country, regardless of which branch of the service they select. 


	3. Chapter 3

Greetings. When we left off, self-described "chess nerd" Kevin Guberman had just answered the door to find the (in his opinion) most beautiful girl on the planet, Tara, standing on his front porch. In this chapter, we pick up the action one week later … only kidding.

Thanks to all who read Chapter 2 and to the reviewers: MrDrP, cpneb, Kradeiz, spectre666, Dr. J0nes, DuffKilliganFan, mattb3671, AtomicFire, CastaS, momike, Zaratan, and dartblade.

Thanks especially to MrDrP for his excellent beta services.

Warning: This chapter contains spoilers for a film, named about one third of the way down the page, which some readers may not have seen yet. (It's only been out for a little under seventy years.) If that worries you, please read with care. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: Disney owns these characters.

* * *

**Mating Games**

(An _Essential Ronness_ Story)

by  
_campy_

_Chapter 3 _

Kevin opened the door to greet T-square. He saw a dripping wet, blue poncho framing wisps of platinum blonde hair; a pretty, smiling face; and those huge azure eyes that had haunted his daydreams for the past three years. _I cannot be seeing this_, he thought._ I've finally lost my mind. _He stared dumbly at the apparition in front of him. Then it spoke.

"Hi, Cap'n K? I'm T-square."

_It's her voice, that beautiful, soft, musical voice. It's really her!_ He somehow got his own voice working. "Tara? Tara Monroe? You're T-square?"

"None other," she said with a smile.

Seconds ticked away. "Sooo … can I come in?" said the blonde.

"Oh! Right! You want to come in," he stepped aside. "Please …"

She paused. "Actually, I should probably leave my raincoat out here. My sneaks, too. I, um, kinda stepped in a puddle or two. In fact, I could use a towel if you've got one."

"Oh, uh, sure." Kevin ran upstairs, grabbed a towel from the linen closet and hurried back down, lest his fantasy evaporate in his absence.

When he got back, Tara had doffed her wet gear and he handed her the towel. _She looks so beautiful, _he thought. Her simple casual wear might as well have been the finest Parisian couture; she looked so gorgeous in it. He watched as she dried her toned cheerleader's legs—_Wow, she has incredible legs—_and then stepped into the foyer.

"Thanks," she said, handing the towel back. "So, you're, um, Kenny, is it?"

"Uhh …" _damn, what's my name again?_ "It's, um, Kevin. Kevin Guberman."

"Oh, sorry."

"That's okay. No reason you should know who I am. I mean, I'm just … and you're …"

"So where should we do it?"

"Wha–?"

"The chess game. Where are we going to play?"

"Oh! Yeah. I set up the board in the family room. Come this way."

He led the way to the farmhouse's spacious country kitchen/family room, where a chessboard was set up in the position after their last online move.

Tara walked around the large room, taking in the exposed hand-hewn ceiling beams, the French doors leading out to a flagstone terrace with an umbrella table and barbecue, and the windows on two other walls. "Wow, you have a great house. Is that a pool back there?" she asked, looking out the doors toward the back yard.

"Yeah," Kevin said.

"Too bad the weather's been so bad. I love to swim."

_Tara Monroe … swimming. Tara … in a … Yowza!_

She moved to the game table and took a seat behind the black pieces. "It's my move, right?"

Kevin shook his head to try to clear his mind. "Yeah, I had just moved my rook like so," he said, taking his seat behind the whites and moving the piece back and forth to illustrate.

Tara studied the board for a few minutes, then reached out and moved her queen's knight. "Your move," she said, sitting back.

Kevin, who'd been studying his comely opponent instead of the board, looked down and was at a loss. "Uhhh … what'd you do?"

"My knight was here," she pointed to an empty square, "… I moved him here."

Kevin was having trouble focusing. It was as if he'd never played the ancient game before. His familiar tournament chessmen seemed like amorphous globs of plastic, their shapes held no meaning he could discern. The precise grid of black and white squares swirled like a kaleidoscope. He reached for a piece, then pulled his hand away. Finally, hesitantly, he moved his king's bishop one square.

Tara raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?" she said.

Kevin looked at the board again. He didn't see a problem. He had no idea what threats were on the board. "Sure," he said with a confidence he didn't feel.

Tara studied the board intently for a full minute, then she picked up her black queen and captured Kevin's white one. "Check," she announced.

_Gah! You idiot!_ Kevin berated himself. He stood up. "I'm thirsty," he said. "You want anything?"

"I'll take a glass of milk," she responded.

He went to the kitchen and turned on the cold-water faucet. He splashed some on his face and dried off with a paper towel.

_Get a grip, Guberman,_ he told himself. _This is Tara Monroe, the prettiest, most popular girl in school. She's not interested in you as a boyfriend, she has B-ball Boy for that. All she's looking for from you is a chess buddy. If you can't give her that, you're useless._

He got a couple of drinking glasses, took the milk out of the refrigerator and poured Tara's milk and some for himself. He brought the drinks back to the game table and set Tara's in front of her.

He sat down and began to concentrate on the game in earnest. It wasn't easy—having his crush across the board was quite a distraction. But Middleton High was abundantly populated with nubile lovelies, and Kevin had learned to focus in class well enough to maintain a straight-A average, so this was just a matter of degree. _No worse than that history final last spring with a tube-topped and micro-minied Bonnie Rockwaller sitting in the next row. _Across the board, Tara took a sip of milk and smiled at him. The milk mustache ad folks would have paid some serious claude to put that smile on a billboard._ Well, okay, this is worse—but I can handle it._

And, through a supreme effort of will, he did.

* * *

Tara sat back and sipped on her milk. She was glad she'd agreed to come over. Kevin had seemed a little flustered when he first found out who T-square was—_He must have been, to just hand me his queen like that—_but now he seemed to have gotten over it. She regarded the boy across the board, taking in his expression of concentration, and smiled behind her glass. _Y'know, in this light, he's kinda cute,_ she thought.

* * *

After careful study, Kevin was able to see a way out of his predicament. Move by move, he deftly parried the blonde beauty's attacks. She tried her best to simplify the board, trading piece for piece until her queen advantage could dominate the endgame; Kevin strove to keep the game as complex as he could. Soon her superior forces were tripping over each other, unable to combine effectively against the outgunned whites. The contest ended in a stalemate. 

Tara wasn't too disappointed; this was the best result she'd obtained in all their games.

"Want to play again?" Kevin asked.

"No thanks, that was intense. Only so much thinking us blondes can do in one session," she said with a grin. "I should probably go soon."

Kevin was disappointed, but figured his luck had run out. _She probably wants to go hang with her cool friends now. _He walked her to the front door and opened it. The rain was coming down much harder than before, accompanied by strong gusts of wind.

"Yikes, I don't want to walk home in that," she said. She tried calling her mom and her dad, but got their voicemail. "Still busy with work, I guess."

"If no one can come for you soon," Kevin offered, "my dad should be home from the medical center in a couple of hours. I could drive you then."

"Works for me," she agreed.

The teens headed back to the family room. Tara noticed the big-screen TV and a collection of DVDs. "Hey, why don't we watch a movie for a while?"

Kevin was elated. "Good idea," he said. "Pick one. I'll pop some popcorn."

She looked over the Gubermans' DVD collection. The usual action movies and romantic comedies, a few foreign films, nothing appealed to her. Then she noticed some old Hollywood classics on a lower shelf. _Gone with the Wind_, Bette Davis, Fred Astaire, Bogart & Bacall, _The Thin Man_ series, and … ah! Perfect!

Kevin returned with a bowl of popcorn and she handed him the disc.

"'_The Adventures of Robin Hood'_?" he read. "Errol Flynn? Who's that?"

"Trust me," she said, taking the middle seat on the sofa near the popcorn bowl.

Kevin loaded the disc in the player and took a seat in a nearby easy chair.

Tara patted the spot to her right. "Hey, don't leave me alone with all this popcorn. Come sit over here."

Kevin was stunned. _Tara wants me to sit next to her? This is officially the greatest day of my life._ He moved over as the introductory fanfares of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's iconic score began to play over the opening credits. Soon the action started and Kevin was quickly caught up in the age-old tale.

During one early scene between Robin and his sidekick Will, Tara pointed to the screen. "See that actor in the red suit? He was my grandpa's first flight instructor."

"Really?"

"Yeah, in World War Two the Army took over a bunch of civilian flight schools 'cause they had so many new pilot trainees. Grandpa was at this school in California, and that guy, Patric Knowles, was an instructor. Grandpa said he made so much money from his studio salary he used to let his paychecks pile up in the base office for months."

"This the same grandfather who taught you chess?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, he was," Tara said. "He had quite a life. Came from back east to go to college around here, and enlisted in the Army the day after Pearl Harbor. After the war, he became an architect and stayed all his life."

"My dad's from the east. Grew up in Massachusetts, and met my mom in med school. Johns Hopkins, in Baltimore. That's where I want to go."

"So what's Dartmouth?" she asked, pointing at his T-shirt.

"That's where Dad went for undergrad. It's in New Hampshire. I'm applying there, too."

"I bet it's a nice place."

He reached for some popcorn. "Yeah, gets real cold in the winter, though."

"I don't mind cold weather," the blonde said, hugging herself. "It's perfect for cuddling."

Kevin almost choked on his popcorn. _Okay, if I didn't know that such an idea was utterly preposterous, I'd almost think Tara was flirting with me._

"So both your parents are doctors?" she continued after a bit.

"Yeah. Dad's a brain surgeon and Mom runs the medical department at the space center."

"And you're going to be a doctor too?"

"Workin' on it," he said.

Tara sighed. "I think it's so great you know exactly what you want to do in life. I have no idea. I'll probably end up selling houses like my mom."

"Whatever you do, I bet you'll be terrific at it. You could do anything you put your mind to, Tara."

"You really think so?" she asked, a look of wonder on her face. She'd been flattered by guys before, frequently—but this felt different somehow. Better.

"I know so. You've got a good brain under all that hair. You couldn't play chess the way you do otherwise."

Tara scoffed. "I haven't beaten you in a game yet."

Kevin paused the movie and turned to face her. "Tara, I'm first board of the Tri-City champs. I've played and studied the game for years. You just started again a few days ago, and you see what's going on in a game better than most of the high school players I know. For someone who hasn't worked at it like me, you're amazing."

"You're nice to say that …"

"Let me tell you a story. Last spring in the finals I played this snotty jerk from Upperton. He'd beaten me twice in a row, bad. I spent a week preparing this obscure queen's-pawn opening that he wasn't expecting. Within ten moves he was practically in tears, he was so lost. I rolled over him."

"What's this got to do—"

"Two days ago I threw that same opening at you. You played it like you had the book right in front of you. You're smart, Tara, really smart. Don't ever let anyone tell you different."

He reached for the remote again, but before he could grasp it Tara threw her arms around him and hugged him for all she was worth, which was plenty.

"Oh Kevin, that's the nicest, sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me," she said, her voice quavering with emotion.

Emotions, and hormones, were running riot within Kevin, for sure. His mother and grandmothers were the only women who'd ever hugged him before, besides Steve's older sister one time freshman year. But even as attractive as Lisa Farley was, that had been nothing like this. He was feeling things he'd never felt before—inside and out. _Wow, this is … I don't know what this is. I like it, though. … Her hair smells like lilacs … I thought they'd be softer, somehow … stop that, Guberman! … Wow, I guess I really made her day._

She loosened her grip, which was good because he'd been having trouble breathing, and looked up at him, lashes fluttering over moist, half-shut eyes. Her lips parted slightly.

_Okay, I could maybe believe she was flirting with me before. I mean, sometimes people just flirt, it doesn't necessarily imply anything, right? But there is no freakin' way that Tara Monroe is sitting here wanting **me** to kiss her. She's got a boyfriend, fer cryin' out loud. A big boyfriend. He'd kill me. This could kill our friendship. I've got to be imagining this._

"I just calls 'em like I sees 'em, kiddo," he said, croakily.

Eventually Tara collected herself and let him go. He restarted the movie.

Errol Flynn resumed swapping barbs with Basil Rathbone, pitching woo to Olivia de Havilland, and otherwise just plain buckling swash like only Errol Flynn in his prime could.

_Why wouldn't he kiss me? _Tara thought._ I literally threw myself at him. I don't do that, ever. I can tell he thinks I'm pretty. He even thinks I'm smart, he said so._

_Maybe he already has a girlfriend. He probably does. Some honor student who's working toward the future like he is, not spending all her time waving pompoms and mooning over jerks who play with balls. What do I have to offer a guy like him?_

* * *

Toward the end of the movie, during a scene with Little John, Kevin turned to Tara. "That big guy looks so familiar to me. Wasn't he the Skipper on that old castaways sitcom? _Killigan's Atoll_, or whatever?" 

She shook her head. "Close. That guy's Alan Hale. His son, also Alan Hale, was the Skipper."

"Gotcha," he said.

A few minutes later Kevin noticed Tara looking at him with a wry smile on her lips.

"What?" he asked.

"So, you liked the castaways show?"

"I used to watch the reruns on cable," he admitted.

"So, which one?"

"So which what?"

"Which girl did you like? The movie star or the farm girl?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"C'mon, don't even try to give me that. Every guy who watched that show has a favorite. Now spill," she implored.

"Mary Ann," he said after a beat.

Tara grinned. "I knew it. You like brunettes, then?"

_Blondes,_ he thought wistfully, _one incredible blue-eyed blonde who's so out of my league it isn't funny._

"She was cute," he finally said, turning back to the TV.

He glanced back at Tara; she looked disappointed, in some way. _Why do I feel like I gave the wrong answer?_

On screen, the climactic battle in Nottingham Castle was in full swing. The Merry Men of Sherwood Forest soundly thrashed the forces of the treacherous Prince John. Robin Hood skewered the evil Sir Guy on his sword and accepted the hand of the lovely Marian from King Richard. Closing credits.

Kevin turned to Tara. "Wow, that was a great flick. I never even knew we had that."

"You've got a lot of good old movies on that shelf."

"Maybe I'll watch the rest sometime." _They won't be half as good without the company, _he thought.

"You should," she said. _We should,_ she thought.

They got up. Tara collected the empty bowl and glasses and brought them to the kitchen, while Kevin went over to the game table and packed up the chess set. Just as he went to his room to put it away, Kevin's father arrived home.

"Hi Kev– Oh! Am I in the wrong house?" the stocky, dark-haired surgeon said upon finding an unfamiliar girl in his kitchen. An exceptionally attractive girl, he couldn't help noticing.

She approached him with outstretched hand. "Hi, Dr. Guberman. I'm Tara Monroe. I'm a friend of Kevin's. We were playing chess"

He shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Tara. I'm Phil."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Kevin returned. "Hey Dad, how's the brain biz?"

"Just fine. Got to try the new EZ3000-X laser scalpel today. Slices like a dream."

"Cool! Hey, can I borrow the car to bring Tara home?"

"Sure. Catch." He tossed Kevin the keys and the two teens left.

Once they were gone, he turned on the early news and fixed himself a glass of tonic water with a lime wedge. As Tricia Labowski was relating the story of a local couple who'd awoken the previous night to find an SUV in their living room, his wife returned home.

"Oh, hi, hon," she said, sounding surprised. "I didn't expect you to be here. Where's your car?"

"Kevin's got it," he said as he rose to greet her. "He's driving a friend home. A girl."

Her eyebrows shot up as she joined him on the sofa. "Kevin had a girl over? You met her? Who is she? What's she like?"

"Very sweet girl, excellent manners. Seems quite bright. They were playing chess, she said. Her name's Tara, Tara Monroe."

"What does she look like? Is she pretty?"

He blew out a long, up-and-down whistle tone. "You could certainly say that," he replied. "She's about as tall as Kevin, very pretty face, big blue eyes, long, platinum blonde hair, and—oh, how shall I put this?—built like a centerfold model." He traced an hourglass figure in the air with his hands.

"Really?" She gave him a mock-scolding look. "Why Philip Guberman, however would you know what a centerfold model looks like?"

"I am a Doctor of Medicine and a surgeon, my dear," he said, affecting a haughty tone. "I have studied the human body in great detail."

"You're a brain surgeon, honey," she said with a laugh. "What possible need would a centerfold have for your services?"

* * *

Kevin pulled up in front of Tara's home. She reached for the door handle and turned to thank him for the ride, but he had already shut off the engine and was out of the car, heading around to her side. He opened the door for her and she stepped out into the light drizzle. 

"My, what a gentleman," she said with a smile. "I had such a time getting my ex to do that even on dates …"

_Ex? Does she mean the guy before Morgan, or …?_

"So, I had a lot of fun today," she said as they walked to her front door. "I'm glad you suggested it. It was nice to see the face behind the screen name."

"Same here," he said. "Maybe we'll meet online again?"

"Actually, I think I like it like today better," she said. "And the movie was fun, too. Plus, y'know, blondes, computers, not really a great combination."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Hey, don't you remember what I told you before?"

She lowered her chin and looked up at him. "I remember," she said softly, "but maybe I should keep you nearby, you know, in case I need to hear it again?" _I'd welcome any other compliments you have for me, too._

He shuffled his feet awkwardly and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'd be happy to tell you how smart you are as often as you want." _And how beautiful, and how good you smell, and how great your arms felt around me …_

Lightning flashes illuminated the distant mountains, thunder rumbled ominously, and the drizzle turned into a steady rain.

"I need to head back before it gets worse," he said.

"Goodnight, Kevin," she said.

"'Night, Tara."

He went back to the car; she went into the house. As he drove away, she watched the receding taillights as best she could through the glass door sidelight, her vision obscured by raindrops and tears.

_to be continued …_

* * *

Author's note: The anecdote of actor/flight instructor Patric Knowles' WWII activities comes from a contemporaneous letter written by the author's mother, a dispatcher at the flight school in question. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four is here. Sorry it took so long, I hope you consider it worth the wait.

Thanks to everyone who's reading and to the reviewers of Chapter three: mattb3671, Yankee Bard, Matri, CastaS, continental-line, cpneb, DuffKilliganFan, dartblade, MrDrP, Kradeiz, Gray Cardinal, Dr. J0nes, spectre666, SassMasterGeneral, Zaratan, BluetoothThePirate, and bmwrider.

Special thanks to my most valuable beta man, MrDrP.

Disclaimer: Disney owns these characters, except for two that I created. I hesitate to own up to them, since they're kind of annoying, but facts are facts.

* * *

**Mating Games**

(An _Essential Ronness_ Story)

by  
_campy_

_Chapter 4 _

Tara woke up early on Thursday morning, feeling moopy. The sky was actually mostly blue for a change, but she was blue in the "low in spirits; dejected" sense. The events of the previous day combined with dreams of a senior year social life co-starring the same preening pretty boys and conceited jocks that filled her past had led to a restless night.

She realized now that there were other boys out there, boys with things other than just looks and sports prowess to offer; boys like Kevin—but he apparently wasn't interested in her. Never before—not even with Ron—had she been so up front about her attraction to a boy without result. The whole situation disheartened her.

Unable to get back to sleep, she got up, fed the family cat, made herself breakfast, then sat around the house in her PJs for a couple of hours, carelessly leafing through some teen and gossip magazines. She had the house to herself; Mom had gone into the office and Dad's tree service was busy with fallen limbs from last night's storm. She was skimming an item about Quinn's tantrums on the set of the upcoming sequel _The Two Finger Guy_ when her cell phone announced an incoming call. She checked the display; it was Jessica. She pressed the YES softkey to answer the call.

"Hey Jess, what up?"

" _Tara, let's go for a run this morning. The weather's actually cooperating." _

"I don't know …"

"_C'mon T, it's bikini season, gotta stay in shape. Besides, you know Kim's workouts are gonna be heinous this fall. Can't let ourselves slip." _

"Oh, why not? Maybe a little exercise is what I need today."

"_Be there in fifteen. Bye." _

A quarter of an hour later, Tara answered the front doorbell while gathering her hair into a ponytail. Jess stood there, having clad her willowy form—at least, enough of it to come up to community decency standards—in body-hugging black short shorts with white and gold stripes down the sides and a black sports bra.

Tara looked her friend up and down. "Wait, don't tell me—you're thinking the trail that goes by the batting cages today?"

"That, and I was expecting to be competing with your new pink outfit. What's with the frumpty-dumpty look?" Tara had chosen decrepit, loose-fitting gray sweat pants and an equally shapeless, grungy teal top this morning. "Last I heard, you're single, and there are cute guys out there."

A pained look briefly darkened the shorter girl's face. "Not in the mood. Let's just do this, 'kay?" She took off at an easy pace down the walkway and turned left at the road.

Jess followed. "You warmed up and stretched already?" she asked once she caught up.

"I'll be fine."

The two blondes jogged along in silence for a few minutes until Jess spoke. "So, do anything exciting yesterday?"

"Watched a DVD," Tara said flatly before she kicked the tempo up a couple of notches.

Jess kept pace. "What's bothering you this morning, T?"

"Nothing." Tara turned left again and headed up one of the area's popular off-road trails. This put the conversation on hold, since there wasn't enough room for the girls to run side by side.

* * *

"Tara dumped Morgan! And you knew this last week? Why didn't you tell me!" Kevin wailed, tearing at his brown hair. 

"Sorry, Kev, I didn't see how it mattered," Steve said as he took the cover off a pitching machine. "How was I supposed to know she was your new chess buddy?"

"Aughh! If I'd known she didn't have a boyfriend … when she … and I just … aughh!"

Farley's Frozen Rope Sports Center was Middleton's premier indoor and outdoor recreational complex. There were over a dozen batting cages, including the latest virtual reality models featuring simulated Major League pitchers. There were facilities for fielding practice—which had helped at least one Mad Dog make the jump from benchwarmer to All-League shortstop—there were golf practice tees and a putting green, a small video arcade and a snack bar. The fitness-minded folk of the Tri-City area kept the place hopping most afternoons and weekends, especially when there was a kids' team party booked, but things were slow that morning, so assistant manager and heir to the throne Steve Farley was able to listen to his best friend describe his most surreal Wednesday ever as he went about his duties.

"Hey, as I recall, I was the one who told you Friday you should go for it with Tara," the taller boy said. "_You_ are the one who said, and I quote, 'I have no shot.' I figured talking about her would just reopen old wounds."

"Okay, okay, you're right," Kevin conceded. "It's not your fault. Now, do you really think there's any chance at all she'd go out with me?"

Steve poked around in the innards of the troublesome machine and tightened a loose screw. "Okay, tell me again, what did she say at her door, exactly?"

"It was like, _'Maybe I should keep you close by, in case I need to hear it again.'_"

"Uh huh," Steve said. "Hand me the socket wrench."

Kevin handed him the implement. "So?"

"And how did she say 'goodnight,' again? I need tone of voice here."

"She was like, _'Goodnight, Kevin.'_"

Steve stroked his chin as he stared off into the distance contemplatively. "Hmmmm."

"Well?" Kevin implored.

"Yeah, I have to say she totally wanted you to ask her out."

"Oh, I don't know why I'm even talking to you about this, Mr. 'No, I never even noticed half the babes at school throwing themselves at me all spring.' The whole idea is ridiculous."

"Hi, Steve!"

Cassie Otis and Traci Sandisfield, two MHS varsity softball players, called and waved to the baseball captain from a couple of cages to the two boys' left.

"Hi, girls. Here to take some cuts?"

"Yeah." They giggled.

"Hey Steve, maybe you could keep an eye on me and let me know what you think of my _form?"_ Traci, a buxom brunette, called over her shoulder as she took her stance with an exaggerated waggle of her shorts-encased—and rather cute—butt.

Steve looked at Kevin and rolled his eyes. "Ten bucks an hour for private lessons, Trace," he deadpanned.

The girls giggled some more.

"And there we have it." Kevin said glumly. "As if more was needed, proof positive that Kevin Guberman is absolutely invisible to girls. And I'm supposed to believe _Tara Monroe _like-likes me?"

"Those two don't know you, Kev. Tara does. Also, Tara has a brain in her head."

"I second that motion."

It was rare for Kevin to hear a voice coming at him from below his ear level. It usually meant the speaker was seated. And so this one was.

"Oh, hey Felix."

"Hi guys," the wheelchair-assisted Felix Renton said.

He rolled toward the Frozen Rope's accessible cage, which was to the right of the one Steve was working in. A moment later Felix's friend Ron Stoppable, with Rufus perched on his shoulder, left the snack bar bearing a tray laden with drinks and a couple of orders of nachos and headed their way.

"Hi, Ron," chorused Traci and Cassie as he passed their cages.

"Hi!" chirped the little mole rat with a jaunty wave of his paw.

"Morning, ladies," Ron said suavely. (In his opinion.)

They squealed.

"Don't you think Ron has gotten so adorable since prom? Kim Possible is sooo lucky," Traci whispered to her teammate.

"Well, if you ask me, that Felix Renton over there is _very_ cute," Cassie said. "He has such soulful eyes."

"But what about his … you know? Do you think it …" Traci wondered.

"Well, Karen Shelburne managed to 'accidentally' fall into his lap once last year, and she says it does."

They squealed some more.

Ron and Rufus joined the trio of boys; Ron handed Felix one of the drinks. "Here ya go, Wheelman."

"Thanks, Rondo."

"So Felix," Steve said, "you were saying you agree Tara's smart …?"

"Well, I know she liked the Ronman here before most, that's got to count in her favor."

Kevin and Steve nodded.

"Ho yeah," said Rufus approvingly.

Felix looked at the other three boys, took a sip of his drink, and chuckled softly.

"What's so funny, Felix?" Kevin asked.

"I was just thinking, it's so unusual since prom to see both the Ronman and Steve, with neither guy in mid-PDA with a cheerleader. It just seems wrong somehow."

Ron and Steve blushed and grinned, more or less goofily, and then laughed. Kevin laughed too, somewhat bitterly. Rufus guffawed raucously.

"I do believe I can remedy that situation right now," chimed a feminine voice oozing with droll musicality.

The four boys turned to see, just a few scant yards from them, five feet seven and a quarter inches of blonde-haired, blue-eyed, freckle-faced, _Mona Lisa_ smiling, lithe of figure, not quite glistening but certainly glowing All-American girlhood—to wit, one Jessica Margit Sundstrum.

She was quite a sight: long, sleek legs below nicely filled shorts and a narrow waist and toned tummy above. And even if she didn't fill out a sports bra quite as lavishly as some of her squadmates did, there was no doubt that, as Monique had said, she had it goin' on there, too. All four boys stared at the transcendently lovely cheerleader in open admiration, while the two softball players exchanged whispered, catty remarks about her hair, freckles, figure, personal hygiene, morals, and attire—or more precisely, dearth of same.

Slowly, sinuously, Jessica approached the quartet of slack-jawed lads. Sapphire eyes riveted on the kelly greens of her beau, she glided between Felix and Kevin to where Steve stood next to Ron. The naked mole rat dove back into Ron's pocket, he had a good idea something mushy was coming and had no desire to witness it. The tow-headed, unsung member of Team Possible stepped aside, and then, just as it appeared Jess was about to make her BF the luckiest man on the face of the earth right then and there, she turned gracefully and draped her lissome arms over Ron Stoppable's shoulders.

"C'mon, ya big stud," she purred seductively, gazing into his milk chocolate brown orbs, "plant one right here." She puckered up her full, sensual lips.

Ron's face turned a deeper red than his familiar jersey and he let out a strangled "eep," and melted into a puddle of goo. Well, just about.

Then with a laugh, Jess tousled his cornsilk locks and bussed him lightly on the cheek, and three boys, a girl, and a rodent laughed long and hard with youthful abandon with—not at—Ron Stoppable. Even the lovelorn chess captain forgot his heartaches for a while.

Once the fun abated, Felix grabbed a batting helmet from a nearby rack, wheeled himself into the cage, fed a token into the pitching machine and prepared to take his twenty swings. The other four teens sat down on a couple of nearby benches. Ron offered the nachos around.

"So Jess," Steve asked his girlfriend, "weren't you gonna ask Tara to run with you today?"

"Oh, she's here, I left her over at the picnic area, stretching. That girl is in such the mood today, I don't know what's got her so tweaked. I twist her arm to come out on this little jaunt and then she just about drops me like an anchor on the way here. She needs a new BF, like yesterday."

Steve's eyes grew wide. Jess may not have known what had tweaked Tara, but he could guess. He turned to his best friend. "Kevin," he said, "now's your chance. Tara's out there. Go ask her out."

"Why bother?" the boy said glumly.

"'Cause you like her, and she likes you," Steve insisted.

"Huh?" Jess asked. "When did this happen?"

Steve turned to her. "Yeah, didn't you hear? Tara is Kev's new chess buddy from the other night. Yesterday they got together to play in person and then watched a movie, and our boy here made quite the impression. Apparently she was inches away from kissing him, but Captain Clueless missed all the signals."

"_He's_ clueless? Look who's talking!" Jess said with a laugh. "How many signals from girls went right over your head last year, Romeo?"

"A lot," Kevin said.

Steve grinned ruefully. "Yeah, well, actually I was more coward than clueless. I could tell some girls were interested," he inclined his head toward the two softballers, "but there was one hot blonde cheerleader I had a crush on, and I couldn't believe she'd go out with me. But Kevin's got way more guts than I ever had."

"What are you talking about?" the chess captain asked.

"I'm talking about that time freshman year when those two football players were about to pound on me. You jumped right in and had my back until Mr. B came along to break it up."

"So? What makes me so brave? You're the one who started the fight in the first place."

"Wait, hold the phone," Jess said to her BF. "You picked a fight with two football players when you were a freshman? A little five-foot-nothing shrimp?"

"We were in the locker room after gym one day," Steve explained. "This one jerk was telling his buddy about his date with my sister Lisa, talking about stuff she supposedly did with him. I told him to shut up and he didn't like that. Kevin here came from all the way across the room to back me up. Bravest thing I'd ever seen."

Kevin blushed. "Well, we're buds, and besides, Lisa was always nice to me."

Ron clamped a slightly cheesy hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Good man," he said.

"Atta boy," the little mole rat agreed.

Jess's eyes grew moist, and she crossed over to sit by Kevin and threw an arm over his shoulders. "You guys are so chivalrous," the blonde said. "Protecting a lady's good name, _très gallant_, Kevin. Tara'd be lucky to have you for a BF."

Felix, who'd finished his swings, tossed his batting helmet back onto the rack and rejoined the group. "She's right, man," he said.

"But how could a girl as great as Tara like a runt like me?" Kevin wondered.

"Hey," Ron said. "Give yourself—and Tara—more credit, Kevin. She would have gone out with me once if I'd asked her, why not you?"

"Uh huh," Rufus agreed.

Kevin began to look optimistic. "You really think she'd say yes?"

"I'm sure of it," Jess insisted. " Tara only gets grumpy like this when a guy she likes won't ask her out. Go on, Kevin, make the girl's day."

Slowly, Kevin rose to his feet. He squared his shoulders and, with a look of determination, strode purposefully away from the group toward the picnic area around the corner of the building.

As the four watched him go, Felix turned to Ron and whispered, "Wasn't he a lot shorter, like, ten minutes ago?"

Steve turned to his blonde girlfriend. "Okay, I didn't know Tara all that well before you and I hooked up, but I don't think I can remember ever seeing her grumpy."

"Neither can I," the long-limbed beauty said, getting to her feet. "But I figured a little white lie might help Kevin get off the dime."

She then grabbed a helmet from the rack and started to put it on her head. "Now, who does a girl have to kiss to get a token for these pitching machines? I feel like taking a few swings."

Rufus immediately popped out of Ron's pocket, a token clutched in his tiny paws.

* * *

Tara finished her stretches and sat on a picnic bench staring up at the puffy clouds. The hard trail run had made her feel a little better. Now she was able to stand back somewhat and consider the irony of it all. _Bonnie—and all of us in her crowd, really— think the 'Food Chain' rules everything, that people we rate low on it look up to us, but they probably don't. To people like Kevin, and that smart girl Justine who wins all those science awards, cheerleaders and jocks are probably a huge joke._

She sighed and watched the clouds some more. Jess's few minutes of visiting her hottie were starting to drag on. Tara was beginning to think she'd have to find the girl and physically carry her away so they could resume their run before they stiffened up. Then she heard someone approaching from behind. "'Bout time, Sundstrum," she said. She stood up and turned around.

"Oh! Kevin!" she said, sounding surprised. _Great! And me dressed in these ratty old sweats, _she thought. _Why didn't I listen to Jess?_ "What are you doing here?"

"I was just here hanging with Steve," he said.

"Steve Farley? Jess's BF? I didn't know you knew Steve," the blonde said.

"Oh sure. He and I go way back. We've been buds since before he became the big baseball star, when he was just a little shrimp like me. Even shorter, in fact."

'_Steve has this friend,'_ she remembered Jess saying on the way to the mall last weekend. _It couldn't be … could it?_ "I didn't know him until he started seeing my friend Jess. You must know her too … of course you do, she's there with him right now and you were just there …" _Stop babbling, Tara!_

"Yeah, Jess and the others suggested I come find you," he said.

"I was out on a run with her, that's why I'm such a mess. Of course, Jess was on the same run and she's dressed like a fitness model …" _I said stop babbling!_

"I think you're beautiful," he said honestly.

That stopped her. Tara sat back down and patted the spot beside her on the bench. Kevin joined her.

An awkward silence fell over the two.

"I had a really good time yesterday," she said, for lack of any better idea.

"Yeah, so did I," he said.

"When should we get together again?" she asked. "I've got chores to do at home today, but I'm free tomorrow."

"That would be fun, Tara, but, um, I really came out here to ask you something else …," he said hesitantly.

"What is it, Kevin?" she asked hopefully.

"Um, I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime. On a date, I mean. With me …"

Tara smiled shyly, while turning backflips inside. "I'd love to," she said softly. "What did you have in mind?"

"There's this summer film series at Middleton College Saturday nights," he said. "My mom gets mailings from them 'cause she's an alum. We could go to that. I think this week it's _Citizen Kane_."

"Sounds like fun," she said, looking into his gray-blue eyes.

"Yeah," he said, looking back into hers as if expecting something.

They sat there.

"What?" Tara finally said.

"I don't know, I was sorta hoping you might throw your arms around me like yesterday," Kevin said, looking away, embarrassed.

Tara blushed pink. "Um, yeah," she said, looking at the ground. "That really wasn't like me. I've never actually kissed a guy on the lips until after a real date. Most of them have to wait 'til at least the second …"

"That's cool," Kevin said.

"… But I have a feeling you'll be a first-date one."

Kevin started to turn back toward her, but stopped when he felt two soft, warm lips brush against his right cheek. He'd never felt anything so marvelous in his life.

When she pulled away he put his hand up to his cheek as if to hold the sensation in place, and stared at her large azure eyes and beaming smile.

"Just a little preview of coming attractions," she said with a giggle.

A pair of hands began to applaud delightedly. The two teens looked in the direction of the sound and saw Jess about thirty feet away. "Oh, you guys are just too cute for words," she gushed.

Tara rolled her eyes. "I'd better go. We have to finish our run. Call me?"

Kevin nodded, not able to master higher functions like speech yet. She stood up and walked over to her squadmate, swinging her arms to get the blood flowing, and turned to wave to Kevin when she got there.

"All right, Sundstrum, let's take the long way home. C'mon, pick up those feet." She trotted off down the trail.

Jess gave a mock groan, then shot a wide grin and a double thumbs-up Kevin's way before following.

The cheerleaders were a few hundred yards up the trail when they heard a euphoric "Yesss!" echo across the surrounding hills.

_to be continued … _

* * *

So our couple is finally together. Too bad about that no-suspense thing, thanks to my having written _The Mad Dog Picnic_ almost six months ago. Not to mention giving it away in the intro to Chapter one of this one. Oh well, hindsight's 20-20. In the next chapter, Kevin meets the parents. And, if the big date doesn't take up the whole chapter, we may begin to get into Bonnie's reaction to (and actions against) our little Food Chain subversives. 


	5. Chapter 5

Welcome back. In our last episode, not only did Tara agree to go out with Kevin, she as much as promised him a goodnight kiss at the end. The guy's got it made, you'd think. And Bonnie's still out of town, so all should be smooth sailing, right? Right? We shall see.

Thanks to all readers and to the reviewers of chapter four: ZK Chromedragozoid, MrDrP, Commander Argus, dartblade, DuffKilliganFan, CastaS, Matri, cpneb, daywalkr82, spectre666, Dr. J0nes, and Zaratan.

Be sure to read the end note for details of the TV trivia contest contained within. A fabulous prize is in store for the lucky winner. (I'm using 'fabulous' in the 'existing only in myth or fable' sense of the word here.)

Disclaimer: Disney owns Kim Possible.

* * *

**Mating Games**

(An _Essential Ronness_ Story)

by  
_campy_

_Chapter 5 _

Though nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the columned, white house on Mining Camp Road looked like something out of the Old South. For the blonde girl strolling toward the welcoming front entrance between two boys, the home, though built to a suburban scale, always called to mind the make-believe plantation whose name the family's daughter bore. She often wondered if this architectural evocation of the Peculiar Institution ever bothered their friends Monique or Crystal; thankfully, it didn't seem to.

They reached the door; Jess gestured toward the doorbell. "You're on, Kevin, it's your big night." He took a deep breath and rang the bell.

"Coming!" the teens heard from within as the chimes sounded. The door swung open and the lady of the house, a more mature, slimmer, hazel-eyed version of her bubbly daughter, greeted the trio. "Hi, Jessica, don't you look lovely tonight. What an adorable top. Steven, it's good to see you, too. And you must be Kevin. Please, come in."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Monroe."

"I'm Jill. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kevin. Tara tells us you're quite the honor student."

Kevin blushed and shrugged modestly.

A booming voice was heard from the rear of the house: "Is Tara's date here?" Mr. Monroe came into the foyer and greeted his daughter's friends. Then he introduced himself to Kevin. Jess had to suppress a giggle, Tara's father and date made such an odd couple. Both wore blue polo shirts and chinos, but that's where the similarity ended.

Mr. Monroe, a Mad Dog linebacker back in the day, was a big blond bear of a man. He looked like an older Brick Flagg, somewhat chunkier around the middle, and his deeply tanned arms were thick as the tree trunks he tossed around for a living. His shirt and trousers were well worn from hard outdoor work; faded white letters spelled out "Tri-City Tree Service" over the left chest and "Mark" was embroidered in gold thread over the right.

Tara's date cut a much less imposing figure, giving over a hundred pounds and nearly ten inches of height to the older man. His thin, pale arms had no visible musculature, and his shirt was clean and fresh and had "Johns Hopkins School of Medicine" lettered over the left chest.

Kevin shook hands with his date's dad, trying not to wince at the strength of the man's grip.

"So you're Kevin. Tara's told us a lot about you. Planning to be a doctor someday, I hear?"

"That's right, sir. My mom and dad are both doctors."

Tara's dad maintained his grip on Kevin's hand. "Well, that's great. Takes a lot of smarts to be a doctor." He leaned in closer to the boy and added menacingly, "Just remember: you're not one yet. So no playing at it with my little girl, got it?"

"N–no sir, I mean, yes sir."

Tara's mom smacked her husband on the arm. "Mark Monroe, you behave yourself. Kevin here seems like a fine young man from everything Tara says, and what I've seen so far."

She turned back to the brown-haired boy, who was flexing his throbbing right hand and hoping surgery was still a feasible career aspiration. "So Kevin, your folks own the farm house over on Aspen View, don't they?" the petite real estate agent asked.

"That's right, Mrs. Monroe."

"Oh, the old Adams place," Tara's dad commented. "I knew your last name sounded familiar. Your folks were one of my first clients after I started my business. I took out two big old Norway maples from the back yard."

"I remember that!" Kevin said. "I was like three or something. I sat by the window in the family room all day with my toy trucks, watching the work. We put a storage shed where those trees … Whoa!"

His train of thought completely jumped the tracks when he caught sight of his date slowly descending the staircase, her dress swishing around her gorgeous legs with each step.

She reached the bottom and performed a little pirouette in front of him. "Do I look okay?" she asked.

Kevin didn't respond until Steve poked him in the ribs, jolting him from his daze. "You—look—spectacular," he said breathlessly.

That was an understatement. Tara's dress was red, well fitting without being tight anywhere, and short enough to display several inches of shapely thigh. But the most eye-catching feature was the keyhole neckline that offered a tantalizing glimpse of cleavage.

She flashed him the widest, brightest smile he'd ever seen close up. "You look pretty good yourself, Cap'n K."

Jess looked up at the grandfather clock in the foyer. "The movie starts at seven, right? We should probably get moving."

"Right," Steve said. The three couples stepped out into the front yard.

"Whose Lexus?" Mr. Monroe asked, noticing the car out front.

Kevin held up the key. "It's my dad's."

"Aah–ha. And how long have you had your license?"

"A year and six weeks, Mr. Monroe. I'm legal to drive with more than one passenger now."

"Uh huh." Tara's dad clamped a calloused hand on the boy's shoulder. "Well, you just be sure to be real careful with my little girl tonight. I want her home safe and happy by eleven sharp, understand?"

Kevin swallowed. "Yessir."

"Good. 'Cause if not, you'll be getting an up-close and personal demonstration of my industrial chipper."

"All right, Daddy," Tara said, her voice full of exasperation. "That's enough of that." She removed his arm from Kevin's shoulder and bade him lean over for a kiss on the cheek, and then she kissed her mother as well. Then the two young gentlemen courteously opened the car doors for their ladies and, after everyone was secure, they headed for Middleton College.

* * *

Upon reaching the lecture hall where the film was to be screened and buying some popcorn, the young couples decided to separate. Tara and Kevin took seats near the center, while Jess and Steve chose a secluded corner way in the back, because … ummm … Jess was farsighted? Yeah, that's it. 

At seven, a senior film studies major came out to speak about _Citizen Kane_ for a few minutes, and then the lights went down and the film began.

Kevin was several minutes into a vigorous back-and-forth argument with himself about whether he dared put his arm around Tara when she ended it by snuggling up close to him and giving him a _'why isn't that arm around me yet?'_ look. So they sat through the cinematic landmark like that, quietly munching popcorn and enjoying the closeness.

When the lights came back up, they reluctantly left their seats and went to find their friends.

They found Jess and Steve embroiled in an animated discussion of Orson Welles' use of innovative filmmaking techniques such as low-angle shots and deep focus—well, okay, they were making out.

"Jess," Tara said, without effect. "Sundstrum!" a little louder. Jess moaned; the lip-lock continued.

Shaking her head bemusedly, Tara grabbed the sandaled foot that was attached to the leg that was dangling over the armrest of the seat next to Steve's and gave it a yank. "Guys! Time to go."

Jess pulled away from Steve and sighed. "Ahhhh … college is _fuuuun …" _

Tara looked at Kevin and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's badical, Jess. Now how 'bout we try out a real college pizza place and get a bite to eat, 'kay?"

The two couples left the hall and returned to the car.

* * *

Summertime at a college hangout meant slow nights at Oscar's Pizza on East Street, so the four teens had no trouble getting a table. While the boys were at the counter putting in their orders, cheerleaders Liz Leyden and Crystal Whately, who lived nearby, came in with their dates. Upon spotting the two familiar blondes, they headed over to them and took an adjacent table. 

" Tara!" Crystal exclaimed. "We heard you broke up with Jason. Are you seeing someone new already?" She looked around the restaurant for any familiar faces.

"D'oy, Chrys," Liz said with a laugh, " Tara's never without a BF for very long. Who is it, T? Is it Billy Rowe? Kyle Monson? Oooh! Are you here with a college man?"

Tara shook her head. "No, no and no."

"Yo Farley!" Crystal's date, Craig Dalton, called as Steve approached the group.

Steve exchanged high-fives with the lacrosse captain and Liz' date, hockey star Jeremy Wendell. "Hey, you guys, what's shakin'?" He took his seat next to Jess.

Toting a tray of drinks, Kevin approached the table and sat down with Tara.

Tara took hold of his arm with both hands. "Everyone," she addressed the newcomers, "this is my date, Kevin. Kevin, meet Liz, Jeremy, Crystal, and Craig."

Kevin offered a wave to the athletes and cheerleaders, all of whom had surprised expressions on their faces. "Hey, how's it goin', guys?"

Crystal and Liz looked at one another, then both turned to Tara and said, "Girls' room!" They stood up and dragged the curvy blonde away.

"Okay, you girls go chat," said Jess. "I'll entertain these hotties all by –_ ack!"_ Tara snaked out a hand and pulled her along with them.

* * *

The four girls crowded into the small rest room. 

"Okay, Tara, what's going on? Who's the little kid?" Crystal asked.

Tara narrowed her azure eyes at the _café-au-lait_-skinned cheerleader. "Kevin is not a little kid," she said crossly. "He's the same age we are. He's only been going to school with us since ninth grade. He's captain of the school's chess team."

"You mean there really is a chess team?" Liz said, incredulous. "I thought it was just some joke of Bonnie's."

"Yes, Liz," Tara said, turning to the redhead. "Turns out there are actually kids at school who are into things that don't get them points on our stupid 'Food Chain'! Go figure!"

Jess, from behind, gently laid her hands on Tara's shoulders. "Whoa, amp down, T. Liz and Chrys are just surprised, that's all."

"So when did this happen?" Crystal asked.

"Well, I met him online last week, and in person for the first time on Wednesday, and he asked me out the next day. He's a really sweet guy, smart and fun to talk to, and I like him."

"Does Bonnie know about this?"

"No, Chrys, I haven't talked to her since she went to her dad's. Her cell plan doesn't cover his area. Besides, it's better if I tell her this in person anyway. She's supposed to be back by Wednesday for the Picnic practice."

"What do you think she'll say?" Liz asked.

"If she's my friend, she should be happy I found a nice guy. If not, whatever. The Food Chain doesn't work anymore—if it ever did. Kim figured that out, and so have I."

Liz' face took on a pensive expression.

* * *

Back in the dining area, Kevin was getting some odd looks from the other two boys. 

Jeremy was the first to speak up. "So what, is Tara like, babysitting you or something?"

Kevin sputtered and coughed as the drink he was sipping on went down the wrong way.

"They're on a date, Jer," Steve said testily. "Didn't you hear?"

" Tara … dating him!? But he's a little runt! Is he even as tall as her?"

"We're about the same height, I'm maybe a little taller," Kevin said. "If that matters."

Jeremy snorted. "You're like half the size of her last boyfriend!"

"And he's worth two of him, and three of you, Wendell!" Steve shot back.

Craig laughed. "Got you good, dude!"

Jeremy scowled at the other three, who stared back. The testosterone was so thick you could cut it with a pizza wheel. Then the girls returned, forcing the tension under the surface.

"So," Liz said, taking her seat, "did someone order us some food yet? I'm starving."

"I'll go up," said Jeremy. "The usual Oscar's Special?"

Craig, Liz and Crystal looked back and forth amongst themselves, then all three nodded 'yes' and Jeremy headed to the counter.

Moments later, a number was called and Kevin got up to go collect his group's order.

As he turned to take the pepperoni, sausage and mushroom pizza back to his friends, Jeremy finished placing his order and turned to head back as well.

The two collided. Kevin's tray tipped, sending the cheesy, saucy pie sliding toward Jeremy. Before he could right it, one slice got away and fell right on Jeremy's foot.

"You little shrimp! You did that on purpose!" the big hockey player snarled.

"Sorry man, it was an accident," Kevin said.

"Yeah, right," Jeremy said. "You messed up my new sneaks."

Steve and Liz got up from their seats and went over to help clean up as everyone else watched.

"C'mon Jer," Steve said. "It's nobody's fault. Just forget it."

Jeremy headed back to the table, shooting angry looks at Kevin.

As they sat all down again, a newsbreak began on the TV mounted high in the corner. Tricia Labowski began speaking, and then action footage began to run.

"Hey look," Tara said, pointing to the set. "Kim and Ron are on TV! Looks like they just finished a mission."

On screen, the teens watched clips of Kim roundhousing some goon, and a tall, mustachioed man with a blond mullet being loaded into a police van, and then Kim talking to reporters. They could see the newscam continually trying to zoom in on her and her alone while she kept trying to pull Ron into the shot.

"I don't believe this," Jess said. "Look at how they're ignoring Ron!"

Jeremy scoffed. "Chump probably dropped his pants again. What a loser."

The whole group stared at him.

Liz wheeled on her date irately. "How can you say that? Ron saved our whole squad from that muck mutant at Wannaweep by himself, and he saves the world with Kim all the time. He's a real hero. What did you ever do that you get to call him names? Skate around and make slap tricks with your hat shot, or whatever? Like that matters!"

"Stoppable's just a clown," Jeremy insisted. "He needs to hang with the other froobs and stay away from cool people. Same with half-pint here." He gestured toward Kevin.

Everyone at the table was shocked, and stared at Jeremy, or at Kevin, or back and forth between the two.

Kevin swallowed his bite of pizza and looked evenly at Jeremy, and then at his date.

"What do you say, Tara?"

Tara set down her beverage and put her arms around him. "I say call me 'froob.' I'd hang with you and Ron any day."

Jess reached across the table and took Kevin's hand. "Me too."

Steve put an arm around his girlfriend and his other hand atop hers and Kevin's.

Crystal nodded. "Yeah, same here." She looked at her date, who, after a moment, also nodded.

"Stoppable's okay," Craig said, "and I'll take these guys' word on Kevin. You're way outta line, Jer."

Liz just stared sadly at her date, then stood up and walked around to the far side of the other table. "You guys got room for another froob?" she asked. She pulled an empty chair over and sat down.

Kevin gestured to the pizza. "Help yourself to a slice, Liz."

"Bye, Jeremy," she said. "Hope you find some people cool enough for you somewhere."

Jeremy stood up and leaned with both hands on the table, glowering angrily at the group. "So that's it? Fine, I don't need this. But somebody owes me nine eighty-five for the pizza."

Craig reached into his pocket and came out with some bills, and tossed a ten Jeremy's way. He pocketed the ten dollars, and after shooting one last, sulfurous glare in Kevin's direction, turned and walked out.

"Wow," said Tara. "I can't believe he would say that stuff."

"Yeah, Jeremy takes the Food Chain kinda seriously," Liz said.

"Are you gonna be okay, Liz?" Jess asked.

"Yeah," the redhead said. "I feel pretty good. After what Tara said in the girls' room, I figured out I was really only with Jeremy for the status. T's right, I should look for a nice guy. In fact, there's this guy Arnie at our church who I'm pretty sure likes me. Maybe I'll start up a conversation with him tomorrow."

"Yo go, girl," said Crystal. "You better watch it, guys," she added, pointing to Steve and then to Craig. "Being the big hottie or the sports star doesn't cut it any more. We have options now. You treat us right or you could be next out the door."

"Fair enough, Chrys," Craig said with a grin. "Just remember, that's a two-way street. We guys can ignore the Food Chain, too."

As the seven teens laughed and chatted and enjoyed their pizza, Tara couldn't help worrying. _Bonnie takes the Food Chain more seriously than anyone. How's she going to take this? _

* * *

Things became quiet in the car after they dropped Jess and Steve off and headed for Tara's house. Kevin was concerned about getting Tara home on time—he had no desire to incur Mr. Monroe's wrath. But he could also tell that Tara had something on her mind. He assumed it had to do with the incident at Oscar's, which was troubling him as well. 

He pulled up in front of the Monroe home just as he'd done a few nights ago. As before, he went around to Tara's side and opened her door for her. He thought her smile looked a little forced tonight, but she took his hand and they slowly walked up the path to the front door.

At the door, she turned to face him. "I had a really nice time tonight," she said.

"I'm glad. I did too. But it seems like something's bothering you, ever since the pizza place."

Tara raised an eyebrow. "Was I that obvious?"

"So are you going to tell me about it?"

She sighed. "It's Bonnie. She's been my friend for a long, long time. After what happened with Jeremy back there, I worry about what she'll say about us."

"Yeah, I'd understand if you didn't want to risk your friendship by dating me …"

"I didn't say that, Kevin," she protested. "I'm just a little nervous. I'm not used to defying Bonnie, she's … got a very strong personality. But I do want to see you again. If you want to, that is."

Kevin's eyes grew wide. " Tara, you've got to be kidding. Of course I do. I mean, I had a crush on you before, but now that I know you, I'm realizing what an amazing person you are."

Tara favored him with another dazzling smile that he didn't just see but felt in every cell of his body.

He looked into those big, blue eyes and reached out to place his hands on her waist. They slowly closed the distance between themselves. Her eyelids slowly closed and her head tilted just a tad. Their lips met in a soft kiss. Tara's arms went around his neck and held him tight, and he wished the moment would last forever.

But of course, it couldn't. All too soon they parted.

"Mmmm, that was good," Tara said. "You sure you haven't done this before?"

Kevin was able to manage a shake of his head in reply.

She smiled again. "Well, you're a natural."

He nodded. "Yeah," he whispered.

"I should go inside. Talk to you tomorrow," she said.

"Good night," Kevin said.

"Good night," Tara said, and she went into the house.

Closing the door, she leaned against it for a moment, smiling to herself, then she part-walked, part-skipped, part-danced and part-floated her way up the stairs to bed.

_to be continued … _

* * *

Contest: Within this chapter is a reference to the author's favorite TV show of the 1980s. The first reader who identifies the reference will receive special mention in the intro to the next chapter. 

What's the TV show? Here's a hint: It was Kristen who shot him.


	6. Chapter 6

And we're back. When we left off, Tara and Kevin had enjoyed a pretty good first date, all things considered. Today they spend a nice, sunny midsummer afternoon together, with just a few dark clouds to intrude toward the end.

I'm sorry to say that no one found the TV reference in the last chapter. The question wasn't to ID the show, _Dallas_—I practically handed you that. There was a character in the chapter whose name came from a _Dallas_ character. So, no one wins my contest. That said, however, reader **pbow** deserves special mention for noting that Tara's mom sort-of shares her name with Farrah Fawcett's character from the original _Charlie's Angels_. Just one vowel away, Monroe – Munroe. It was completely unintentional on my part, and I'll let that conspiracy die right now.

Thanks to all readers and to the reviewers of chapter five, spectre666, AtomicFire, MrDrP, Miguel Dubón, Dr. J0nes, SassMasterGeneral, Jeriddian, daywalkr82, pbow, CastaS, dartblade, mattb3671, and Zaratan.

Special thanks to MrDrP for heroic beta reading efforts under great adversity, and to Jeriddian for guest beta reading and technical advice.

Disclaimer: Disney owns all, I just borrow.

**

* * *

**

**Mating Games**

(An _Essential Ronness_ Story)

by  
_campy_

_Chapter 6 _

The afternoon after the big date was a picture-perfect mid-July Sunday in Middleton. The sun was out and the temperature was warm but not too hot, ideal for outdoor activities. Tara was thinking about what she'd like to do when her cell phone rang. It was Kevin.

_My BF!_ Her heart leapt as she took the call. "Hey there, handsome!"

_"Hi Tara, it's Kevin." _

"D'oy, why do you think I answered the way I did? My cell phone told me it was you."

_"It did?" _

"Of course, silly. I programmed your number in the day you asked me out. Remind me to take a picture of you, I want to have one come up on screen whenever you call."

_"Um, okay. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to get together today. We can play some chess out by the pool, maybe take a dip between games?" _

"That sounds like fun. Let me change and I'll be over in a bit."

_"Okay, see you." _

Tara dressed with a lot more care than she had for her first trip to the old farmhouse; after all, this time she had a BF to dazzle. She took her time deciding which of her three swimsuits to wear. She figured the chances of one or both of Kevin's parents being around were good, so she didn't want to go too revealing—not that she even owned a truly skimpy suit, like the daring bikinis some of her friends wore. She preferred to keep her assets well secured. After eliminating her one-piece that she used for laps in the Middleton High pool, she decided to go with her more modest two-piece, a red and blue boy-short floral print with a generously cut top; cute and sporty. She put on the suit and covered it with nice shorts and a tank top with lacy trim, packed a towel and sunscreen and a few other essentials in a bag, and headed off.

**

* * *

**

Kevin put down the phone and immediately felt a shiver of anticipation. _I'm going to see Tara in a swimsuit!_ Then he had another, less pleasant, thought. _Tara__'s going to see me in a swimsuit … oh well._

He went up and changed into his trunks and a t-shirt with a chess knight design, and brought his board and pieces out to the patio.

After about twenty minutes the bell rang, and he went to the door to let Tara in. "Hi!" he said. "Wow, you look terrific."

"Thanks," she responded with a slight blush. She leaned in and brushed her lips lightly against his.

"What was that for?" he asked. "Not that I'm complaining or anything …"

"Just a special way to say 'hi' to my badical new BF," she said. "You are willing to be considered my boyfriend, aren't you?"

He pinched himself on the arm. "Wow, it's not a dream. Yes, yes, of course I'm willing."

She giggled. "So, is anyone else here?"

"Not right now, the 'rents both went in to work. Dad has a patient in ICU and Mom goes to the space center every day when there are astronauts up in the station, at least for an hour or so. They'll be home soon."

"Good. I'm looking forward to meeting your mom. So, chess by poolside today?"

"Yeah, it's beautiful out there today." He led her to the family room and out the French doors to the patio.

Tara walked around the pool area, taking in the view of the mountains and the crystal clear water. "This is really spectacular. You're so lucky to have this."

Kevin shrugged. "I guess. I don't use it much myself. I'm kind of an indoor type, as you can see by my lack of a suntan."

"Well, I love to be outdoors. I have to use a ton of sunscreen, but I manage." She showed him the tube of SPF 45 she'd brought along.

They moved to the table right next to the pool where Kevin had set up the board. He had also brought out his chess clock.

"I thought we could try some speed chess for a change. Who wants to sit at the board for an hour or more on a day like this? We can play five minute games, jump in the water in between …"

"Sounds good. I've never played with a clock like that, how does it work?"

"It's easy, see, I set each side for five minutes like so, then I start my side running. While I'm thinking about my move, the clock near me is counting down to zero. I make a move, then tap this button. My side stops running and yours starts. If your five minutes runs out, your little flag drops, you lose the game."

"Okay, let's try it."

He set the clock for five minutes each and they sat down to play. Kevin won the first game.

"That was fun," Tara said, "Let's play another."

They switched colors. This time Tara won when Kevin's flag fell, ending his five minutes. It was her first victory ever against him. Thrusting her arms in the air, she exulted. "Finally!"

"Well done," he said with a smile. "Best two out of three?"

"You're on. But let's go for a dip first," she suggested. She stood up and began to unbutton her shorts. As she wiggled out of them, she caught him watching her. "C'mon now," she chided. "Undressing is not a spectator sport."

Kevin took off his shirt and quickly jumped into the pool, so she wouldn't get a good look at his unimpressive physique. Unfortunately, this cost him his chance to appreciate her very impressive figure, as she peeled off her tank top and followed.

"Oooh, this feels _sooo_ good!" she said.

They floated in the refreshing water for a few minutes, then Tara said, "Well, that's enough for now. I'm ready to beat you again." She swam to the ladder and climbed out. Kevin watched, awestruck, as the water droplets on her body refracted the sunlight, making her look like a jewel-bedecked goddess. It was more_ Yowza!-_worthy a sight than he'd imagined that first rainy day.

As she wrung the water out of her long, blonde hair, she called to him. "So, are you coming or not?"

He climbed out as she began to apply sunscreen to her arms, legs, chest and midriff. "You want some?" she offered, holding the tube out to him.

"Nah, I'll just put my shirt back on."

"Could you do my back for me?"

He took the tube and squeezed some lotion onto his hand. She turned and held her long hair out of the way. _Even her __back__ is gorgeous, _he marveled, as he spread the lotion over her exposed skin.

They sat down again and started their rubber game. Kevin was a little distracted—he'd never faced a bikini-clad opponent before. Tara started on the attack and wouldn't let up. She quickly won by checkmate.

Kevin smiled admiringly at the proudly beaming beauty across the board. "You're good at speed chess. I figured you would be."

"Thanks," she said. "Are you sure you didn't let me win?"

"No way," he swore. "Tournament chess is my thing. I've never been very good at speed games."

"Well," she said, getting up from her seat, "I think I deserve a prize now." She beckoned him with an index finger, then tapped her pursed lips.

Kevin eagerly got to his feet and came around the table to her waiting arms. He kissed her tenderly.

"Mmmm," she said, running her fingers through his hair, "you most def have a talent for this. But that's not the prize I had in mind."

"No? What's the prize, then?"

"This." She slid both hands down to the center of his chest and shoved hard. Kevin flew backwards and went into the water with a huge splash.

He came up sputtering. "Oh, are you ever gonna pay for that, you little sneak!" He slung handfuls of water at the squealing girl, who dodged most of the liquid onslaught and then dove gracefully into the pool. A long, boisterous water battle ensued, waged under the surface as well as on it, with much dunking and swim-by tickling and gales of youthful laughter. At one point Kevin pulled off his waterlogged shirt, which was slowing him down considerably, and flung it at his opponent. It sailed far over her head.

Eventually, the teens wore themselves out. Kevin found himself standing in chest-deep water, his back to the side of the pool, Tara a few feet away. Smiling seductively, she closed the short distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. Bare skin pressed against bare skin. They kissed hungrily, lips parted, tongue tips making small exploratory forays. It was by far the most intense kiss Kevin had ever experienced, and Tara couldn't remember a better one either.

Opening one eye, she thought she saw movement inside the house. She broke the kiss and took a better look. There was a woman standing inside the French doors looking out at them. She looked at her zoned-out BF and signaled him to snap out of it and look behind him.

He did. "Mom!" he gasped.

The woman opened the door and stepped out onto the patio. "Hi, you two!"

They got out of the pool. Tara grabbed her towel and quickly dried herself a bit, and wrapped it around her waist.

"Kevin, what is your soaking wet shirt doing in my shrubbery?" she scolded. "Hello," she said to Tara, "I'm Kevin's mom. I'm so glad to finally meet you."

Kevin's mom was an attractive, neatly dressed brunette with stylishly permed hair and blue eyes. "Hello, Dr. Guberman," Tara said, shaking the woman's hand.

"Oh no, Kevin's dad is Dr. Guberman, I'm Dr. Warren professionally. You can call me Mrs. Guberman, or just Donna will do."

"Mrs. Guberman, then. I'm Tara Monroe."

"Well, my husband said you had excellent manners, I can see he wasn't lying about that—or about what a beauty you are."

Tara smiled and blushed. "Thank you."

"Kevin, go inside and get yourself a dry shirt; you know how you burn."

"Okay, be right back. Can I get anything else? You thirsty, Tara?"

Tara nodded.

"Good idea," Mrs. Guberman said. "Why don't you bring out the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge, and some plastic cups. And go get some extra towels, Tara could use another."

Kevin disappeared into the house.

"There, that should keep him occupied for a few minutes. Now we can get down to brass tacks." Mrs. Guberman sat down on a dry chair and indicated Tara should sit as well. She did so.

"All right, Tara, why are you dating my son?"

Tara was taken aback by the woman's bluntness. "Beg pardon?"

"I realize it's been a few years since I went to Middleton High, but as I recall, blonde bombshell cheerleaders date star athletes, not boys who are small and studious. In my day, the head cheerleader was this girl named Yvonne something. They called her Queen Vonnie, and she was relentless in making sure her posse dated only the boys who rated highest on their—what did they used to call it?—their 'Food Chain.' So I'm wondering what's going on now."

Tara looked the woman directly in the eyes. "What's going on is that this cheerleader got tired of dating self-absorbed jocks who only wanted another trophy. Kevin's fun to be with, he can play chess and talk about things other than himself and the latest ball game, and he appreciates me for more than my looks. Do you know what the first compliment he ever paid me was? He told me I was smart and could do anything I applied myself to. Plus, I happen to think he's pretty cute, and, for the cherry on top, he's already a darn good kisser. What kind of dumb blonde would I be if I _didn't_ date him?"

Kevin's mom regarded the girl for a long moment, then broke into a broad smile. "Good answer," she said. "But what about the rest of your crowd?"

"Well, we ran into a few other people last night, and things went okay." _Mostly,_ Tara added in her head.

Mrs. Guberman accepted Tara's words at face value. "I just worry that my boy could get hurt if things go badly with you—or even if they go well. This academic year is going to be very important for Kevin's future, getting involved in the high school social whirl could be a huge distraction for him."

"Mrs. Guberman—can I call you Mrs. G?—I swear to you I'd never do anything to hurt Kevin, or hold him back from reaching his goals. I'm actually a low-maintenance kind of girl. I'd be just as happy hanging around the house on a study date as being taken out to a fancy restaurant."

"I can't imagine any teenage boy concentrating on schoolwork with you around," Donna said with a grin.

"If I tell a boy to study, he'll study," Tara countered, grinning back. "Hello, cheerleader, remember? We motivate guys to excel all the time."

Kevin's mom laughed. "I like you, Tara, so I'm going to think positive here. You could easily turn out to be good for Kevin. I know he's been a little down on himself since his friend Steven got a girlfriend …"

The French doors opened and Kevin came out, wearing a gray t-shirt with a big green D on the front and carrying a pitcher and some cups, a stack of towels under his arm. Donna noticed the way Tara's azure eyes lit up at the sight of him, and it warmed her heart.

She rose from her seat. "So Tara, can you stay for dinner tonight? Kevin's dad is going to grill chicken kebabs, and we have fresh corn on the cob and a Key lime pie for dessert."

"Thanks, I'd love to stay."

"Great. Well, I'm going back inside. You two go back to your … swimming. Just be sure to use protection. Sunscreen, that is."

* * *

Kevin and Tara did some more swimming, and played a few more games of speed chess, each winning two. Another spirited water war was contested, the results of which were inconclusive. The combatants also enjoyed several more periods of very cordial relations. There were definitely no losers in those. 

Donna Warren Guberman was at the kitchen sink washing some potatoes for salad and keeping half an eye on one such session (probably with more equanimity than Mark Monroe would have shown in her place) when her husband came home from the medical center.

"Hi honey," she said. "How's the patient?"

"She'll be fine," Phil Guberman said, opening the refrigerator and pouring himself a tonic water. "How fares the intrepid band of pioneers out on the final frontier?"

"Just another day at the office." She pointed out the window. "Kevin's girlfriend is joining us for dinner tonight. She's out there with him right now."

"Oh? And what do you think of her? Is she a doll, or is she a doll?"

"She's wonderful. So poised and natural, not some spoiled princess like you might expect with her looks." Donna had many unpleasant memories of Queen Vonnie and her court. "I even like the way she's dressed. I was expecting her to be in a barely-there bikini like Steven's friend wore when she was here."

"I rather liked Jessica's suit …" the brain surgeon said.

"You would."

He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. "It reminded me of the one you wore on the beach on Dominica, that med school spring break we volunteered at that clinic."

Donna blushed and turned to face him. "Is that why you got so frisky later that evening? I was worried you were fantasizing about our son's pal's teenage girlfriend."

Phil gaped at his wife. "Excuse me? I remember _you_ getting frisky with _me_, and don't think for a minute I missed your reaction when Steven took off his shirt. You were drooling."

"I did no such thing!" she protested. "I was just surprised. Last summer Steven was shorter and skinnier than Kevin, and now he's a Greek god."

"Oh, so he reminded you of me, then?"

"The resemblance was positively uncanny." She draped her arms over his shoulders and gazed into his eyes. "So, would you like to hear what Tara told me she likes about our son?"

"What?"

"Among other things, that he's a good kisser."

He grinned. "Chip off the old block …"

"Got that right …" she murmured.

* * *

The three Gubermans and one Monroe enjoyed a delicious, convivial _al fresco_ meal that went on 'til well after the sun had dipped behind the western hills. Then Kevin drove Tara home in the Lexus, while his parents retired early—and that's all I'm gonna say about _that_. 

As usual, Kevin got out to escort Tara to her door, but this time the house showed a light burning in an open garage bay. Tara led her boyfriend in that direction first.

"Daddy, I'm back," she called. "You can stop worrying now. Kevin brought me home all safe and sound."

Mark Monroe looked up from the piece of equipment he was working on and smiled at his daughter. "Hiya, kiddo … Kevin."

_That is one _large_ man …_ Kevin thought. "Hi Mr. Monroe. Um, nice … chainsaw?"

"Kevin's going to say goodnight to me at the door now, Daddy. We'd like not to be disturbed, if you don't mind."

Mark looked at his daughter and her boyfriend. He gave a sharp yank on the starter rope of his chainsaw's engine, which sputtered to life and then died off a few seconds later. "Sure thing, Buttercup."

Shaking her head, Tara led her beau to the front door. "Sorry about that. He's actually harmless."

"R_iiii_ght," said the boy.

"Don't worry," she teased, holding a hand up in front of his face and wiggling a pinky, "I have Daddy wrapped around my little finger."

Kevin took her hand in his. "This little finger?" he asked.

"Mmm hmm," she said.

He brought her hand to his lips and began kissing the other four digits. He continued to her wrist and up the arm, gradually pulling her closer and closer, until both arms were around his neck and their lips met in several ardent goodnight kisses.

It was a good thing Tara didn't have to go right to cheer practice, because she was feeling extremely weak in the knees when they finally parted.

Kevin, on the other hand, was feeling like Superman and all four Oh Boyz all wrapped up in one.

* * *

Tara went up to her room and dumped her bag out on the bed. She threw her towel in the laundry and hung her damp swimsuit in the bathroom. (She'd packed clean underwear to change into after swimming.) Seeing her cell phone, she realized she hadn't touched it all afternoon. _Rats! I forgot to take a picture of Kevin!_ She checked her voicemail; there were messages from Jess and from Marcella, as well as one from the Mad Dog eleven's speedy halfback, who'd learned of her breakup with Jason and was hoping for a date. _Sorry flash, this trophy's no longer up for grabs. And 'grabs' are exactly what a girl can expect on a date with you. _

Then she came to the final message.

_"Hey T, it's me," _said the recorded voice of Bonnie Rockwaller._ "You would _so _not believe this phone I'm using to check in with you. It has, like, wires! And a dial! I bet Lulubelle over at the main switchboard, or whatever, is listening in. You must be at the lake with Jason. God it is_ sooo_ boring here. If it wasn't for this cute ranch hand with his own truck there'd be nothing at all to do. I gotta go, see you on Wednesday. Flip side." _

_to be continued … _

**

* * *

**

Well, now we should be just about set for Bonnie to come home and for our happy young couple to face their toughest test. In fact, let's make sure of it. Here is a special bonus chapter that will rule out any more delaying tactics from your author:

Mating Games

Chapter 6½

On Monday and Tuesday, nothing worth reading about happened to Tara and Kevin.

_to be continued … _


	7. Chapter 7

Here's chapter seven, a little late and kind of short, but I'll try to do better in the future. I can only plead writer's block. On the plus side, during the time I spent surfing the net instead of writing this, I discovered several lovely new jpegs for the background of my laptop, as well as a way to make my Windows XP taskbar resemble the polished burlwood dash of the luxury sedan that, in a just world, would long since have replaced the 1990 minivan I currently drive. You may or may not take some comfort in knowing that.

This chapter describes events that took place during chapter one of my previous story, The Mad Dog Picnic, so it might help for you to read that if anything is confusing in here.

Thanks to all readers and to the reviewers of chapter six: Yankee Bard, Matri, spectre666, daywalkr82, cpneb, dartblade, AtomicFire, ZK Chromedragozoid, MrDrP, CastaS, Zaratan, Jeriddian, and Dr. J0nes.

Special thanks to MrDrP for beta reading.

Disclaimer: Disney owns, I just mooch.

* * *

**Mating Games**

(An _Essential Ronness_ Story)

by  
_campy_

_Chapter 7 _

Bonnie Rockwaller hated, hated, hated traveling. Even when there weren't delays, which there were this Wednesday. She wanted to be home, not sitting in an airport.

At least in the airport, she was able to get up and walk away from annoying people. She shuddered at the memory of the first leg of the trip back to Middleton—what with the brat in the row behind who wouldn't stop crying throughout the flight, and the brat's bratty brother who kicked Bonnie's seat about _five million times_, and the woman in front who reclined her seat all the way back and kept it there from takeoff to landing, and the middle-aged salesmen on either side of her who kept trying to look down her shirt every chance they got, it had been sheer torture. _Okay, I'm sure those dorks never got within twenty feet of boobs as great as mine without paying a cover charge, but _come on! _Two freaking hours?_

But the planes had one big advantage: they got her closer to home. So she was thrilled to hear the boarding announcement for her flight. She sprang to her feet and beat almost everyone to the front of the line, and showed her boarding pass to the gate agent.

Once onboard the plane, she stowed her carry-on bag and sat down. This time she had a window seat, and at most one seatmate to endure. She buckled herself in and watched the cabin fill up. The seat next to her stayed empty until the very last passenger to board, a little old lady wearing a cardigan sweater, took it.

The crew closed the doors and the plane pulled away from the gate and began to taxi. Then it stopped. They waited. And waited. Then the captain made an announcement.

"_Folks, we've been advised that there are adverse weather systems over the Great Plains that have diverted some other flights out of their normal routes and into the flight patterns that we'll be using, so we've been told to sit on the tarmac here for a while until things clear up. We'll keep you posted."_

Bonnie, along with most of the other passengers, groaned.

"Sounds like we're going to be here awhile, dear," Bonnie's seatmate said. "How would you like to see some pictures of my grandchildren?"

* * *

Tara and Kevin were playing chess at the Monroe home that afternoon. The southern colonial on Mining Camp Road may have lacked a swimming pool, but the tree-shaded backyard was still a pleasant spot to pass an idyllic summer's day. 

Tara had spread out a blanket and brought out her handmade chess set. This would be the first time anyone had used it in over five years. _You would have liked Kevin, Grandpa,_ she thought as she set up the board. She made lemonade from scratch, squeezing fresh lemons and stirring in sugar until it was just right. Kevin brought over his chess clock, but Tara didn't want to play speed chess. It was fun, and her intuitive style was suited to it, but she still wanted to defeat her BF in a game where he had all the time he could ask for to consider his moves.

Of course, time to think was one thing, an atmosphere conducive to thought was another. She'd dressed in a way sure to addle the brain any red-blooded teen boy: short shorts and a top with a wide scooped neckline, which bared a generous amount of skin and fit closely to the parts it didn't show off. Then again, she had to sit across from his extreme cuteness—Tara had decided that, if his hair were just a bit longer, from certain angles he'd look very much like Robbie of the Oh Boyz—so fair was fair.

Well, in the end, the distractions balanced out and Kevin won the first game. As they set up for the rematch, he asked Tara, "You want to do something tonight? Maybe catch a movie or something?"

"I don't know," she answered. "Bonnie's supposed to be home tonight. I should try to get hold of her, tell her about us before she hears it from someone else. If we went out, someone might tell her. I think she'll take it better from me."

"Uh, okay," he said.

"What's the matter, Kev?"

"Nothing," he said, unconvincingly.

* * *

Bonnie's flight landed an hour and a half late. Then she had to wait for her checked bag, which was the last one to appear on the carousel. She finally arrived home about 8:40 pm, tired and grouchy. Grouchier than usual. She wanted to call some friends to let them know she was back, but her cell battery was dead and she'd misplaced the charger, and Lonnie was monopolizing the land line. _Uhhhgh, I should just do a barre workout and go to bed early._

* * *

After Kevin went home, Tara tried calling Bonnie's house as well as her cell, but couldn't get through. _Well, I'll see her at practice tomorrow._

* * *

"Good job, ladies," Bonnie said. "I think we can quit for today, but I want you guys to be at the Pavilion early Saturday. I want us to rock the house with this number." 

Tara, Jess, Liz and Bonnie had just spent a little over an hour walking through the dance steps Bonnie had quickly devised for their performance at the Mad Dog Picnic on Saturday. It was too warm inside the gym to do much more. They moved to the bleachers where they'd left water and towels.

"You did a great job, Bonnie," Liz said. "We're gonna drive the crowd wild Saturday."

"'Specially the guys," a grinning Jess added, wiggling her hips in one of the seductive moves Bonnie had choreographed. "This dance is H–O–T _hot!"_

"Maybe a little _too_ hot?" Tara said uncertainly. "Some of those moves seem kinda … suggestive?"

Bonnie shook her head as she swallowed her designer water. "Oh come on, Tara, weren't you paying attention at regionals? All the other squads are doing stuff like this."

Jess nodded. "We have to show them we're the hottest girls with the hottest moves if we expect to win again."

"Yeah, T," said Liz. "I think it's fine. I have no problem at all with the 'rents watching me in this dance. This is wholesome sexy, not sleazy sexy. And I bet that BF of yours will love watching you in it."

That reassured Tara a lot. Liz' parents were kind of conservative, and if the redhead wasn't concerned, it was probably okay.

"I just hope K can fake sexy for three minutes," Bonnie said, "and that four-left-paws mascot doesn't trip us all."

"Okay," Tara said, "if you guys are sure …" All three made reassuring noises.

Liz wandered off and Tara figured it was time to tell Bonnie her big news. There'd been no opportunity to talk before practice, since Bonnie had been the last girl to arrive, and then she'd immediately shifted into command mode when Kim and Ron were called away on their mission to the Everglades.

"So Bonnie," she began, just as a car horn was heard outside.

"Ah! Perfect!" the brunette said. "That's Brick. I gotta jet. Big plans. We'll dish later, 'kay?"

"Wait, Bonnie, I have something to tell you …"

"Can it wait, Tara? I haven't seen Brick for two weeks."

_I want her in a good mood … better to let her go and try later._ "Sure thing, Bonnie, I'll catch you later."

Bonnie ran out and Jess and Tara gathered up their gear and started for home.

"So Bonnie still has no idea about you and Kevin?"

"No. You saw the way she ran out just now."

"You really think she might say something ugly?"

Tara sighed. "You know as well as I do how she gets sometimes."

"And if she does …?"

"She's my oldest friend, but if she makes me choose between her and Kevin, I'm ready to write her off."

There was a strength in Tara's voice that Jess hadn't heard before. "You guys that serious already?"

Tara shook her head. "Nooo. I mean, I like Kevin a lot, but I've only known him a week. This isn't really about Kevin, it's about me. It's about what kind of person I am, and who gets to run my life from now on. And it's not going to be Bonnie.

"I just think I owe her the chance to change," Tara continued. "Bonnie's at least got an excuse for acting the way she does. You've met her sisters."

Jess made a face like she'd just smelled something really, really vile.

"What about the rest of us? What's our excuse? 'Cause we've all been a part of it. I've stood right beside Bonnie and said nothing while she put kids down to their faces. People like Kim and Ron, who're supposed to be our friends, and lots of others who could be. All based on that 'food chain' … _crap,_ is what it is!"

"You're right," Jess said, somewhat ashamedly. "We were so shallow. I never even looked at Steve until he turned into a hottie practically overnight. I wish I knew what a great guy he was before. So what if he used to be shorter than me? He still would've been a better BF than anybody else I ever dated."

Tara grinned. "Even without the muscles?"

"Yeah," Jess said. "The bod's a nice bonus, though!"

Both girls laughed.

"So," Tara asked after a bit, "you really like Bonnie's dance?"

"You betcha! It's gonna rock out!"

"I'm still not sure about shakin' it like that with my mom and dad right there in the audience."

"Well, if your dad likes it, maybe you'll end up with that baby sister you always wanted."

"Jessica!"

* * *

Tara's cell phone rang. She looked at the display. _Hmm, don't recognize the number._ She answered it anyway. 

"Hello?"

"_Hey Tara, it's me!"_

"Kevin! Where are you calling from?"

"_Outside, by my pool. I'm calling you on my new cell. Steve convinced me that now that I have a girlfriend it was time for me to get one. This'll be so cool, we can chat or text each other between classes next fall, and—wait a sec … you wanted a picture of me, I'm sending you one I just took of myself. Did you get it?"_

She looked at her display. "Yeah, it's here. I love it, thanks."

"_So, you talk to Bonnie this morning?"_

"No, I didn't. She got to the rehearsal late, and then when it was over she ran out before I could get a chance."

"_Oh,"_ he said flatly. _"So I guess we can't go out tonight …"_

"Well, like I said, I really think …"

"_Yeah, I get it. You need to tell Bonnie first."_

"Kevin, you sound upset."

"_Nooo, not really, I'm just disappointed. I mean, the most incredible girl in the world is _my_ girlfriend, and, well, to be honest, I want to take you someplace and show you off. I sound like a pig, don't I? I'm sorry."_

Tara's eyes misted up. "Oh Kevin, I really want you to take me out, too. Look, let me try calling Bonnie again, okay?"

"_Sure."_

"I'll call you right back. Bye."

Tara tried Bonnie's cell, but was shunted to voicemail again. Then she tried the home number, and this time it rang. One of Bonnie's sisters answered, and was every bit as helpful as Tara expected her to be based on long experience, i.e. not at all.

_Lonnie Rockwaller_, Tara thought, ending the call. _Singlehandedly keeping the 'dumb blonde' stereotype alive for a new generation. And I actually wasted a whole minute of my life leaving a message with her that I know will never be delivered. I must be dumber than she is._

She called a few other friends, hoping against hope someone would say, "Oh, Bonnie's right here at Club Banana/the lake/wherever with us," but no one had seen her. Finally she left a message at the Flagg residence.

Out of options, she was just about to call Kevin back when the house phone rang. _Please, be Bonnie! _"Hello?"

"_Tara? Hi, it's Aunt Cindy."_

This was her mom's younger sister, who lived nearby with her husband and two young children. "Hi Aunt Cindy. How are you?"

"_Listen, I could really use your help. Brian's mom had a little accident and she's in the hospital in Upperton. Can you come over and watch the kids while we drive up and see how she's doing?"_

"Oh! Sure, I can help you out. I hope it's not serious."

"_We're told it's minor, but Brian's very concerned of course. I'll swing by and pick you up in a few? And if you want to have a friend come over to help, it's okay. I know you'll be responsible."_

* * *

Kevin was sitting on the edge of the pool dangling his bare feet in the water, right at the spot where he and Tara had kissed after their big water war. It had become his favorite spot in the world, not that he needed the place to keep the memory fresh. He was certain he'd remember that kiss for the rest of his life. 

Set against that memory, though, were other, less pleasant ones. The last few days hadn't completely buried his old insecurities yet.

As a sophomore and junior, he'd asked a few girls to Spirit Dance and Winter Formal and wound up going stag each time. Some of the turndowns he'd received hadn't been very gentle, either. His memories were of four evenings spent sitting at a table well away from the action with some buddies from chess club and other less-than-popular, honor-roll type guys, like Steve. Evenings spent watching people who seemed like they were from another planet, they were too poised and beautiful to be ordinary teenagers. Tara. Jess. Josh Mankey. Bobby Johnson. Bonnie and Brick. He'd skipped Prom completely, and of course it didn't help that Steve had joined the Beautiful People by that time, having morphed into a tall, good-looking sports star. _Something I'll never be._

Then there was the ugliest memory. Sometime before Prom, he'd been outside the gym waiting for Steve. He'd overheard Bonnie taunting Kim Possible about her dateless status, and how since all the 'remotely acceptable guys' were all taken, she might end up with the captain of the chess team.

_And now Tara's gonna tell Bonnie, her best friend, she's dating me. Who am I kidding, this just can't go well._

His new phone signaled an incoming call. He answered it. "Hey."

"_Hey, Kevin, I still can't get hold of Bonnie. But listen, something's come up. I have to babysit my little cousins for a while. Why don't you come with? We can snuggle up on the couch after they go to bed, maybe watch a DVD? It'll be fun."_

Kevin was silent for a long time, until Tara thought the connection was lost. Then he spoke.

"Look Tara, maybe we should just face facts. There's no way Bonnie's ever gonna accept me, and I don't want to make you choose between me and your friends. Maybe you should just get a boyfriend who's acceptable to your crowd. I had a really good time these last few days, but let's be real here, it's just never gonna work between us. 'Bye, Tara."

"_Kevin, wait a sec! –" _He ended the call. Seconds later it rang again. He shut off the device and left it at the edge of the pool.

Almost immediately the phone in the family room began ringing insistently. Kevin went inside and saw from the caller ID that it was Tara. With a few button presses, he blocked her number and the house was silent.

* * *

Tara gave up trying to reach Kevin. "Okay Tara," she said aloud, "calm down and think about this. This Bonnie drama's got Kev a little insecure, that's all. I made too big a deal of it, I should've seen this coming. I'll go to Aunt Cindy's, I'll keep trying to call Bonnie, and the second I reach her I tell her about Kevin. Then I track him down and tell him it's a done deal and we go from there. Yeah, that's the way to go."

* * *

Tara had no real problems on the babysitting front. She got her little cousins fed and in bed easily. Their grandma's injuries turned out to be minor, but some emergency surgery was needed, and her aunt and uncle didn't return to Middleton until nearly midnight. Her efforts to reach Bonnie, though, were all fruitless. 

After Uncle Brian brought her home, she went to bed, vowing to herself that next day she'd do whatever it took to clear up the Bonnie business and get her boyfriend back. _I'm like Kim now, I've got a mission. Mr. Food Chain, you've messed with the wrong blonde._

to be continued …


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight, another short one. Also late, for which I apologize. Writer's block is a debilitating affliction. Someone needs to put on a telethon for it someday. I can almost (but not quite) guarantee you that the wait for the next chapter won't be so long; most of it is written already. I wouldn't advise obsessively checking the site for it every five minutes, but it'll get here.

If you haven't already read _The Mad Dog Picnic_, my previous story, you might want to read Chapter 2 between the two scenes of this chapter. It couldn't hurt.

Thanks to the reviewers of chapter seven: ZK Chromedragozoid, Kradeiz, Miguel Dubón, MrDrP, AtomicFire, Matri, Commander Argus, Yankee Bard, bmwrider, SassMasterGeneral, daywalkr82, Dr. J0nes, CastaS, dartblade, spectre666, and nipply. Thanks as well to all readers.

Special thanks to my bon-diggity beta reader, MrDrP.

Disclaimer: All characters but one in this chapter are property of Disney. And in less than a month, they'll be using them again! Can you believe it?

* * *

**Mating Games**

(An _Essential Ronness_ Story)

by  
_campy_

_Chapter 8_

Tara's Friday afternoon was not going according to plan. Operation Get My Badical Boyfriend Back had hit a snag. She'd set off from home that morning full of confidence, determined to find Bonnie and tell her squadmate that her days as a mindless follower of the Food Chain were over, and then reconcile with Kevin. But despite a couple of hours of running all over town and calling everyone she knew, she couldn't find Bonnie anywhere.

Frustrated by constant busy signals, she decided to go right to the Rockwallers' house. Fifteen minutes of powerwalking later, she trotted up to the red raised ranch and rang the doorbell.

The door opened to reveal Bonnie's sister Connie, cordless phone in hand.

"What?" asked the brunette, obviously annoyed by Tara's interruption.

"Hi Connie," Tara said. "I'm trying to find Bonnie. Is she here?"

"No," Connie said as she started to shut the door.

"Any idea where she is?" Tara said quickly.

"Don't know, don't care," Connie said, bringing the phone back to her ear as she turned away.

Tara lost it. Furious at years of the older girl's rudeness, she stuck out her arm and shoved the door fully open again. "Look, Connie, I've had a pretty bad night and a worse morning, so I'm in no mood for your 'tude. I really need to find your sister. Do you know anything about where I can reach her?"

A shocked Connie stared at the blonde. She wasn't used to Bonnie or any of her little friends standing up to her. This girl, whom Connie had always considered meek and mild, now looked ready to do violence.

"Connie," Bonnie's mom called from the kitchen, "Who's at the door?"

"One of Bonnie's friends. Um, Teri, I think."

"It's 'Tara', Connie."

Connie felt a chill run up her spine; the girl had actually _snarled _at her.

Mrs. Rockwaller came to the door and Connie fled to the safety of her room. "Hello, Tara, nice to see you. What can I do for you?"

"Hi, Mrs. Rockwaller. I'm looking for Bonnie. I've been trying to reach her for a couple of days, but she never answers her cell or returns my messages."

"Oh, Bonnie's cell phone isn't working these days. Anyway, she's out of town right now. She was invited to go visit Brookdale State overnight with the Flaggs, some function for football recruits and their families. She'll be home late tonight. Joann Flagg left me her cell number for emergencies, let me see if I can find it …"

"That's okay, Mrs. R," Tara said, disappointed. "She'll be at the picnic tomorrow, right?" Bonnie's mom nodded. "I'll see her then."

Now it was on to Plan B: find Kevin and convince him that, despite what she'd been saying for the last few days, he was way more important to her than Bonnie was, and she wanted to continue seeing him.

Confidence surged within her again as she started off toward Aspen View Road. _He can refuse my phone calls,_ _but there's no way he'll be able to resist me in person_.

Reaching the old farmhouse, she climbed the steps to the front porch and rang the doorbell. She waited, but no one answered. Hearing no activity from inside, she rang the bell again. Still no answer. Frustrated, she balled up her fist and pounded on the door about half a dozen times. "Kevin!" she called out. Nothing.

Feeling utterly defeated, she took a step back from the door. Suddenly tired, she lowered herself onto the wooden swing, which hung from two sturdy hooks in the porch ceiling above.

How was she supposed to accomplish her mission if she couldn't even find her objectives? She looked out at the beautiful summer day and sighed. Did Kim ever go through this?_ Probably not. She can do anything, after all._ She began to sniffle, then cry big, wet tears.

A shadow fell across her face. She looked up. "Kevin? Kevin!" She scrambled to her feet and threw her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry," he said softly, rubbing her back, as his own tears began to flow. "I should have believed in you."

"No, I'm sorry," she said. "I should have realized what I was doing to you."

He shook his head. "You didn't do anything. It was all me and my stupid insecurities …"

"No, I shouldn't have blown the Bonnie ish up so much. I should've thought about what you probably think of her—and of me, for being part of her crowd. That's over, Kevin, I want to be my own person from now on. I want to be friends with people 'cause they're good people, not because they're popular, or good at sports."

She sat back down on the swing and Kevin sat beside her.

"I think I need to tell you a little about why I'm friends with Bonnie. First, though, I need you to tell me what you think of her."

Kevin looked uncomfortable. "Well …"

"Be honest," she insisted. "I think I have an idea, and it's okay to say it."

"I think, and I'd say most people I hang with think of her as Queen B for bee-yotch. Guys think she's hot, but that's all she's got going for her."

"And what about the rest of the cheer squad?"

"Well, everybody likes Kim –"

"Never mind Kim, I'm talking about the rest of us. Bonnie's posse."

Kevin thought for a moment. "I'd say nobody I know really blames any of you guys for things she says or does. You all seem nicer when you're not with her. Jess has sure been friendly to me since she and Steve hooked up."

A small smile formed on Tara's lips. "Jess was never a big Bonnie fan, Jess was a fan of the cute guys who flock around Bonnie."

She sat back on the swing. "As for Bonnie and me, we've been friends ever since junior cheerleaders back in middle school," she began, "But it's freshman year that's really the important period. When we got to high school, she and I were the girls with the biggest …" she gestured toward her chest, Kevin found himself compelled to cast an appreciative glance downward, "… breasts in the class. That got us a lot—I mean, _a lot_—of attention from boys. Juniors and seniors, boys pretty high on the food chain, wanted to hang with us. It made us feel special, and we liked it.

"Well, our parents didn't let us date at that age, but since we were on freshman cheer squad, we were out on the field every day after school around the athletes. They'd hang around us, flirt with us, try to get us to go off alone with them. There's plenty of places under the bleachers and such where kids can find a little privacy. Remind me to show you some of them next fall."

Kevin's eyes went wide at the prospect.

"Anyway, Bonnie seemed to know how to handle the guys right from the start, she knew how to keep them interested without giving up anything. I didn't, and I'm sure I would've got pressured into doing stuff I wasn't ready for if she hadn't been there to help me, 'til I learned how to handle myself.

"So because she'd helped me so many times, I felt like I couldn't call her out on the ugly stuff she does to kids, calling them 'loser' and stuff to enforce her ideas about status and junk like that. But I guess I'm not telling you anything you didn't already know there, huh?"

"Well, I've been on the receiving end of a Bonnie barb or two in the past," Kevin said, "when I committed the capital crime of existing in her world or something, but I never saw you take part in any of that."

"Well, you missed it, 'cause I definitely did. I knew it was wrong, but since I owed Bonnie, I just couldn't bring myself to speak up.

"But all that ends right now. I'll be Bonnie's friend provided she cleans up her act, but I'm not a follower any more. So how about tonight you take me out to all the teen hangouts in town, and if Bonnie finds out about us, she finds out about us, and if she freaks, she freaks. It's her problem, not ours."

Kevin thought for a moment. Then he shook his head. "No."

"No? But–"

"Look, Tara, if your friendship with Bonnie is at all important to you, and it was yesterday before I pitched my little fit, I want you to have the best possible chance to keep it. You handle her the way you think will work best, I can wait to take you out in public again. Actually, I was kicking myself since I blew my chance to be with you last night. I'm nowhere near tired of being alone with you."

Tara thought about this. "Okay, but you have to promise me one thing. I want you to come to Picnic all day tomorrow. I'm going to try to talk to Bonnie either before or after rehearsal, but if she somehow flakes on me again, that's it. I want to spend the day with my BF tomorrow, and by the time it's over every so-called 'cool' teen in Middleton is going to know about us."

"You sure about this?"

She scooted over and took hold of his hand. "So sure. See, the most incredible guy in the world is my boyfriend, and I just can't wait to show him off." She draped his arm over her shoulder and snuggled up to him.

"You want to show me off at Mad Dog Picnic?"

"Uh huh," she said, as she slowly traced the Dartmouth 'D' on the front of his shirt with a finger.

"With all those hottie athletes there?"

"Mmm hmm," she purred.

"Gee, I don't know what to say …"

"Talk's overrated anyway," she whispered, pulling him in for a long, soulful kiss.

* * *

_This is nothing like a chess tournament._

Mad Dog Picnic was not Kevin's kind of scene. Everyone was so tall and strong and healthy looking. He was used to being one of the smallest boys in his class at school, but at least by junior year there'd been lots of younger kids who were smaller. Not today. Here almost all the freshmen and sophomores were athletes, already bigger than he was. The girls as well as the boys.

He looked around for Tara, but didn't see her anywhere. _I hope this isn't a bad sign–_ "Ow!" Feeling someone _thwack_ him on the back of the head, he turned around.

It was Jess, in denim shorts and a halter top, looking cross. "Hey you, you are so lucky you made up with Tara yesterday, or else I'd be kicking your butt right about now. You had her really upset."

He grinned sheepishly at the freckle-faced cheerleader. "Yeah, sorry. The whole 'telling Bonnie about us' drama had me freaked for a while. I was stupid."

"Duh," said Jess, hands on her hips. "Majorly stupid. T really likes you, Kevin. What's it gonna take for you to get the message?"

"I'm trying," he said, "but it's hard to believe. With my Food Chain ranking …"

The blonde held up an index finger. "Number One, Kevin. That's where you rank on Tara's scale, and hey, guess what?—that's the only one that counts. You need to learn it, live it, love it, Guberman—or that butt kicking I mentioned earlier? It _will_ happen."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I get it. So, you know where she is?"

"No, after our rehearsal she went after Bonn—eek!" She shrieked in surprise as a tall, dark-haired boy came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her bare midriff and lifted her off her feet.

"Hey beautiful," said Kyle Monson, a baseball teammate of Steve's who'd also been Brick's backup at quarterback and was expected to take over the starting job in the fall. "You ready to ditch that shortstop and run away with me yet?"

_Hey_, _sport, that's my best friend's girl you're pawing,_ Kevin thought.

"Sorry, Kyle," she said, turning her head slightly to smile at the broad-shouldered six-footer, "not gonna happen. I like my BF to wield a big bat."

Kyle released the cheerleader and came around to join the pair. "Ouch! You wound me, Sundstrum. What good is being the starting QB if I can't get a hot cheerleader girlfriend out of the deal?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Monson, the job's not yours yet," Jess admonished. "I hear that kid Matt Ryan from last year's freshman squad is pretty good."

"Yeah, he needs to bulk up and get more experience before he takes over the varsity, though. Hey, I just heard Tara and Morgan are history. Is she still available? I'd ask her out in a heartbeat."

Kevin narrowed his eyes at the big football player. _I liked you better when you were hitting on Jess._

Jess laid a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "You're behind the times, Kyle. Tara's been seeing my friend Kevin here for about a week."

Kyle turned his attention to the smaller boy for the first time.

_Go on, say it,_ Kevin thought. _'Tara, dating this munchkin?'_

Then the big athlete's face lit up. "Hey, I know who you are! You're on the chess team, right?"

Kevin hadn't expected that. "Uh, yeah."

"You guys won Tri-City, didn't you? Way to go! I used to push the pieces around some myself, back in junior high. Never did get very good at it. Just a dumb jock, I guess."

Jess laughed. "Oh, spare me the humble act, Monson. You know the entire football playbook, offense, defense, and special teams, lettered in swimming and baseball too, and you still maintain, what?, a B-plus average? Yeah, you're sooo dumb!"

"And yet I can't make any time with you," he quipped. Turning to Kevin, he gave the lad a playful punch on the arm. "Hey, congratulations, you're one lucky dude. Tara's quite a girl."

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, I see some people I gotta talk to. See you 'round, Sundstrum. Nice meeting you, Kevin." He jogged away.

Jess turned back to Kevin, who was rubbing his arm. "Kyle and I go way back. He lives next door to me."

"He seems like a good guy."

"He really is. So, anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. So, we rehearsed our dance, and then Tara went … oh! Here she comes now."

Kevin turned in the direction she was pointing and saw his girlfriend, clad in blue shorts and a white 'MHS Cheerleading' T-shirt, approaching.

"Hi Kev," she greeted him, smiling happily.

He slipped an arm around her waist and looked into her azure eyes. "Hi Tara."

"Careful, you two," Jess warned. "Mr. B already threatened Kim and Ron with detention for PDA. You don't want to be next."

They moved slightly apart, but still held hands.

"So, T, you track down Bonnie?" Jess asked.

Tara nodded. "Yeah, I talked to her. Weird convo, though. She didn't seem like her usual self. But whatever, I gave her the downlow, what she does with it is not my prob." She clasped Kevin's hand tighter and gave him a broad smile. "I'm all about my badical BF now."

"Great" Jess said. "Well, I've got to go find Steve. Traci Sandisfield's here in one of her low-cut tops, trying to catch his eye. I swear, that girl and I are going to have it out one day soon. Catch you guys later."

Tara and Kevin bid goodbye to their friend and began strolling hand-in-hand through the rapidly filling picnic area.

"Poor Jess, she thinks every girl in town is after her man. She only halfway trusts me," Tara said with a wry smile.

"Well, not that she needs to worry about Steve, but she's probably right about Traci." Kevin said, grinning. "She's at the batting cages nearly every day trying to flirt with him."

Tara snorted derisively. "I hope she's at least getting some good hitting practice in, 'cause if not she's totally wasting her time," she scoffed. "No girl takes a boyfriend away from a Middleton High cheerleader."

"Lucky you, you'll never have to worry about girls throwing themselves at me," he said wryly.

"True," she agreed.

Surprised and disappointed by her quick concurrence, he added, "Yeah, not like I'm any great catch."

Tara halted, making him do likewise. She pulled him off the path and into the shadow of a cotton candy stand.

Taking hold of his other hand, she gazed into his gray-blue eyes. "Oh, you are a prize catch all right, Kevin Guberman, it's just that any girls dumb enough to make a play for my guy will be too dumb to see it."

She released his left hand and slid her right behind his head, gently pulling him in for a kiss. She stopped short of lip contact, however, and pulled back.

"Oops, thought I saw Mr. B watching us. Don't want to get dinged for PDA. False alarm, though."

She pursed her full lips again, but this time Kevin, looking up over her head, pulled back.

"Hi, Mr. Monroe!" he said nervously.

_to be continued ... _

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Hey all, we're back again. In this chapter, we wrap up Tara and Kevin's day at the Mad Dog Picnic. Some of the events treated below are also described in chapters 3 and 4 of my previous story, entitled—what else?—_The Mad Dog Picnic_. If you haven't read those chapters yet, parts of this won't make much sense.

Thanks to everyone who's reading, and to the reviewers of chapter eight: cpneb, AtomicFire, dartblade, spectre666, MrDrP, pbow, Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, whitem, Dr. J0nes, Kradeiz, The Enduring Man-Child, and CastaS.

Special thanks to MrDrP, whose beta-reading services are invaluable.

Disclaimer: Disney owns Kim Possible, and most of the characters within this story. Frisbee® is a registered trademark of Wham-O, Inc.

* * *

**Mating Games**

(An _Essential Ronness_ Story)

by  
_campy_

_Chapter 9_

Outwardly, Bonnie Rockwaller was the picture of repose. At the Lake Middleton swimming beach, she lay on her stomach beside Brick, sunning her back, her bikini top untied to avoid tan lines. On the inside, however, the brunette beauty was aboil with thoughts and emotions.

She wished she hadn't gone out of town for those two weeks. It seemed like so much had happened in Middleton while she was gone, and she was out of the loop. Tara and Liz tossing hotties aside to date low-status boys. Tara growing a spine. It was all so disconcerting. She wasn't sure how to respond.

When Tara had tracked her down after the dance rehearsal, Bonnie was still reeling from her friends' revelations, and the blonde had seemed like a different girl. This knocked the usual dynamic of their friendship off kilter. Bonnie found herself on the defensive, making some lame excuse to explain why she'd run out of rehearsal; Tara pretended to accept it. Bonnie insincerely welcomed a chance to meet this Kevin later, but was hoping that by staying here at the beach she could put it off. Tara had made it clear she was ready to toss their friendship over this chess nerd. That was something Bonnie couldn't allow to happen. Tara was too popular; if the blonde broke from Bonnie's crowd, the rest of her posse might follow.

_Ungrateful little snip,_ Bonnie thought bitterly. _She owes me. She wouldn't have her squeaky-clean rep if I hadn't been there for her freshman year._

The tanned cheerleader pondered some more. _Of course, like everything else, this is really all K's fault. If she wasn't dating that loser, this wouldn't have happened._

Bonnie resolved to get the blonde back in her orbit before senior year began. _T's relationships never last very long. I'll hook her up with a hottie for the squad's beach bash, and she'll thank me for it._

Bonnie began to muse on the big end-of-summer party the cheer squad held every year. They always reserved the beach and it was a blast. But it was more than just a social event; it was crucial to the maintenance of the Food Chain. It reinforced that the cheer squad sat at the top, to be envied by all below. The girls with boyfriends would bring them, and for every unattached girl at least two or three hotties would be invited; Liz and Tara's new friends just would not fit in with the hunks.

For Bonnie, thoughts of the beach bash usually turned to thoughts about the highlight—for the boys and for her, anyway—of every year's party: the squad's informal swimsuit competition. It was a venerable tradition, dating back decades. Each girl would show up with an oversized t-shirt or sports jersey, preferably borrowed from an athlete boyfriend, concealing her suit. At the appointed hour they would remove their cover-ups one by one and show off their suits—and their curves—to the assembled boys. No actual voting took place, but it was almost always clear at the end who had won based on the guys' reactions. Last year it had been Bonnie, and she expected to win it again, given that no cheerleader had a better figure or wore sexier swimsuits than she did. Crystal and Marcella were usually the only other girls daring enough to wear the truly hot suit, but Bonnie could more than match their charms. Rumors involving Kim and skimpy swimwear were still reaching Bonnie's ears, but she wasn't worried. _K versus me in a bikini showdown ... yeah, she'll win one of those about the same time Brick here wins a spelling bee._

Glancing over to the sand volleyball court, though, she spotted potential trouble from a new quarter. _Whoa, looks like Jess'll be going for it this time around … that new bikini of hers is microscopic, and the guys are lovin' it … Dangerous bod, too. She's filled out a bit up top lately. That girl could be a real threat, boys always seem to like the blondes for some reason. I think a drive to Upperton Galleria for a sizzlin' Euro import is in order._

She then took a few moments to check out Jess's boyfriend Steve _sans_ shirt. While he wasn't as beefy as Brick, there was still much to appreciate. _Yum, that boy has the best abs in school. But I can't believe he wants to be in drama club. It's ridiculous. Who ever heard of a star athlete trying out for a high school musical?_

* * *

Kevin looked up to see Tara's dad looming menacingly over him, a scowl on his face. "Hi, Mr. Monroe!" he said nervously. 

The big ex-linebacker looked ready to relive his football days as Mark 'The Shark' Monroe, and sack the boy for a huge loss.

"What's going on here?"

Tara turned around. "Hi, Daddy!"

"You think you can just drag my little girl behind a cotton candy stand for some action? My little Buttercup isn't that kind of girl!"

"Um, uh, we were just –" Kevin said.

"I know very well what you were 'just,' young man, and let me tell you –"

"I think what Tara's dad is saying, Kevin," said Jill Monroe, appearing at her husband's side and placing a placating hand on his arm, "is that you should go behind the ring toss booth for that instead. Isn't that where you used to take me, honey? Or was it the pickle works stand? One or the other. Much more privacy there."

"Jill, you're not helping –"

"Come on, _Shark_, I think I see a couple of your old teammates over there. Time for you to go reminisce about the glory days. Let's go. You kids enjoy the picnic." She dragged him away.

"Bye, Dad! Bye, Mom! Thanks!" Tara called after them.

"Well, that was scary," Kevin said.

"Oh, come on, I told you, Daddy's harmless. Besides, you didn't do anything. _I_ dragged _you_ back here, remember?"

"Yeah, well, I don't think _Daddy_ would have bought that, _Buttercup!"_

Tara grinned and touched her nose to his. "I don't think my 'good girl' rep is going to last much longer with you around, Mr. Guberman. You are just too cute to resist."

"And yet, every girl in town has managed 'til you," he noted wryly. "So, why don't you show me around? I've never been to one of these shindigs. What is there to do?"

Tara's eyes widened in surprise. "You're kidding! You've never been to Mad Dog Picnic before?"

He shook his head. "Not into sports at all, Tar. This isn't my scene."

"Well, there's lots to do. There's all kinds of food, and plenty of sports and games, and dancing in the Pavilion – Oh, and just wait 'til you see the squad's dance tonight, we're gonna blow the roof off the place," she said excitedly. "C'mon, I want to show you everything. I'm all yours all day, except between one and two I have to teach the junior cheer clinic." She took his hand and they went back out into the growing crowd.

* * *

Jason Morgan seethed. All day, people had been giving him funny looks and whispering behind his back about how Tara had dumped him. Now he was hearing about this new guy in her life, some puny little runt. He caught a glimpse of platinum blonde, and saw his ex walking hand in hand with some little kid. _She dumped The Big J for that? This is nuts._

He watched the pair as they approached the Pavilion. It looked as though they were going to separate; Tara was apparently going to take over the kiddie cheer camp from Possible. He decided he'd take the opportunity to have a little 'chat' with Pee Wee. The midget obviously needed to learn his place in the Food Chain, and Jason knew some effective methods of education.

He hadn't taken more than a dozen steps when Mr. Barkin suddenly appeared in front of him and clamped a huge hand on his shoulder. "Morgan, exactly the man I was hoping to find. This is your lucky day. I'm about to do you a big favor."

"You are?" Jason asked distractedly, trying to keep his quarry in sight.

"Yes, Morgan, I am. It seems you still owe me six hours of community service from last term. I happen to need volunteers for two hours of Kosher Dilly duty commencing at thirteen hundred hours, that's four minutes from … now. I'm also looking for someone to coach the junior basketball clinic from 1500 to 1600 hours. You, Morgan, are going to volunteer for that duty, and we'll call you even."

"Gee, Mr. B, I really don't have time right now–"

The one-time Army officer cupped a hand to his ear. "What's that you say, Morgan? You don't want any special treatment? You'd rather be declared ineligible for athletics for the first semester, while you make up the full six hours you owe me?"

"Yes … I mean no … I mean …" Jason groaned inwardly. "Where do I pick up the pickle suit?"

* * *

Tara's stint at the cheer clinic had wrapped up and she'd returned to spending the afternoon with her new boyfriend. She and Kevin danced to one of the combos performing in the Pavilion, played some sideshow games and sampled some of the food. They were currently strolling near one of the several sports fields at the picnic grounds. 

"Hey Tara," called Beth Becket, a junior gymnast. "We're choosing up sides for disc. You guys in?"

Tara turned to her BF, who was munching on a kosher pickle. "You want to, Kev?"

"To what?"

"Disc. Ultimate. It's a game, sort of like football, but with no tackling and a Frisbee instead of a ball."

Kevin looked dubious. "Um, I'm no jock, Tar."

"Oh c'mon, anybody can toss a Frisbee. It'll be fun, trust me."

Kevin agreed.

The sport involved passing the plastic disc from teammate to teammate until someone caught it in the end zone for a point. If a pass was intercepted or dropped, the other side took possession. First team to fifteen points would win.

Not surprisingly, given the competitiveness of the young athletes, the just-for-fun game quickly became intense. Kevin was surprised, though, to see that Tara was as gung ho as any of the other players. His beautiful, sweet, 110-percent-girl girlfriend was running tirelessly up and down the field; her white t-shirt soon bore dirt and grass stains from several acrobatic diving catches.

_She's really into this._ _Who knew? I wish I could do something to impress her out here._

He wasn't having much success, though. He tried his best, but so far he'd dropped all but one disc thrown to him, and the one time he did catch it, he immediately cost his team possession with a poor throw. Several times he'd had to stop running and gasp for breath as play continued around him. But he refused to give up.

Late in the game, with his and Tara's side trailing 13-14, he found himself covering Beth in the end zone when he saw one of his teammates, football player Ryan Purvis, trip and fall, leaving Megan Hadley wide open for game point. The disc was in the air, sailing toward her waiting hands. He sprinted over and dove, knocking the disc to the ground just before the lanky volleyball star could grab it.

"Thanks, man," said Ryan, helping him to his feet. "Way to play the clutch 'D'."

"No big," he told the tight end.

Tara jogged over to her BF and Ryan, beaming proudly. "Great job, Kev! Now, let's get that tying point."

She picked up the disc and waved the boys downfield. Kevin trotted down the sideline unmarked—_Look at this, they don't even bother to guard me any more_—and a few plays later saw the disc coming his way. He managed to catch it about twenty yards from the end zone and immediately heard Ryan shouting "G-man! Go deep!" He flicked his wrist and sailed the flying saucer toward the end zone, where Ryan ran it down and caught it for the tie.

Tara ran over to him and gave him a high five. "Nice toss, _G-man!"_

The other team went on offense, but soon coughed up the disc when Tara made an interception near midfield. Megan quickly planted herself in front of the cheerleader, waving her long arms to block Tara's attempts to throw. Finally Tara managed to find an opening and send a curving pass Kevin's way. She watched, heart in mouth, as her beau lost his footing, but recovered enough to make a scrambling on hands and knees, sprawling catch for the win.

Kevin's teammates in the end zone reveled in their victory and congratulated the improbable hero. Tara was so proud of him; she ran to him and gave him a congratulatory embrace and kiss.

"Boo-yah!" yelled Ryan, thrusting his arms aloft. "The G-man scores!" Tara pulled back, blushing pink, but then her lips formed a dreamy smile and she covered her boyfriend's mouth with her own once more. The onlookers were stunned at first—Tara had never before been so demonstrative in public—but as the kiss grew more and more passionate, they began to hoot and holler and chant "G-man! G-man!"

"All right, all right, break it up!" roared a furious Steve Barkin. The crowd instantly scattered to the four winds, leaving a very red-faced Tara and Kevin to face the ex-soldier's ire.

"Monroe … and … Guberman? Well, this is … unexpected, not to mention very disappointing," the big man said. "I don't recall ever having had to lecture either of you about the school's policy on Public Displays of Affection before. To summarize, we're against them."

"Sorry Mr. Barkin," Tara said contritely. "I got carried away. Kevin won the game for us. Did you see that catch he made? He was awesome!"

"Whoa, rewind, Tara! You're the awesome one! You made, like, four or five unbelievable catches, and your throws –"

"Ahem," Mr. Barkin interrupted. "If I could break up this mutual admiration society for a moment and get back to the matter at hand … Guberman, I take it you are no longer seeking your mystery chess player?"

"Not any more, Mr. B. I found her." He took Tara's hand, and she flashed a smile at him before turning back to the educator.

The big man arched an eyebrow. "Oh really? Monroe, are you an aficionado of the ancient game of battle strategy and tactics?"

"Huh?"

"Tara's a great chess player, Mr. B," Kevin said. "She's ready for the varsity right now, and she's still improving."

"Is that so?" the school disciplinarian said. "Well, Monroe, perhaps you and I ought to face each other across the board one day. A match in Room Twelve after the first day of school could easily be arranged, if you two repeat the performance I just saw on this field. Guberman, you'd be there too, so you could take on the winner. Am I clear?"

The couple nodded. "Yessir, Mr. B."

"Dismissed."

The two teens breathed a sigh of relief and left the field grateful for their reprieve, and resolved to do better in the future. At stealth, if nothing else.

* * *

It was almost time for the program to begin. The Pavilion was filling up fast. Kevin and Steve had secured prime viewing space for themselves and were seated at each end of a block, holding some more for friends. Soon Brick Flagg, Kyle Monson, and Arnie Custer, Liz' new friend, came to join them. 

Steve looked over at Kevin, then stood up and accosted Kyle. "Monson, I hear you've been hitting on my girl again. I thought I told you to quit that."

"I'm cutting back slowly, Farley," Kyle replied with a smirk. "I'm down to just days that end in 'Y' now."

Steve and Kyle stood toe-to-toe glaring at each other. Kevin stood up, ready to have his pal's back should he need it. The teammates then broke into laughter. Kevin looked confused.

Steve turned to his friend with a wide grin on his face. "Jess and Kyle are old buds since grade school, they kid around like that all the time. It's not serious."

Arnie, who was polishing his eyeglasses preparatory to the cheer squad's dance, paused. "I don't know, Farley, I'd be watching my back if I were you," he mock-warned, "I think Monson wouldn't mind re-enacting the Kim and Ron Story, with you in the Eric role."

Kyle put a finger to his lips in a 'shhhh' gesture. Everyone laughed.

Brick scratched his blond head. "Hey, whatever happened to that Eric guy, anyway? He really had the funk."

"Yeah, he did—but nobody's got it goin' on like this guy here has!" Kyle exclaimed, pointing to Kevin. "It's the man of the hour! The G-man!"

_What now?_ Kevin wondered.

"This man is a Living Legend!" Kyle continued, throwing his arm around the chess captain's shoulders. "His name will be whispered in awed, hushed tones in the halls of Middleton High for years to come!"

"What are you talking about, Monson?" Brick asked.

"Haven't you guys heard?" Arnie asked. "Everybody's been talking about it."

Brick and Steve shook their heads. "No, we just came in from the ball field." Steve said.

Arnie explained. "Kevin's out on field two playing disc with Ryan Purvis and Tara and some others, and after he makes a spectacular diving catch to win the game, Tara runs up to him and plants a colossal liplock on him right there in front of everybody. Then he grabs her hand right in front of Barkin, _while_ he's in the process of reaming them out for PDA, and they just stare him down and walk away smiling with nothing but a warning. It was history-making!"

"Okay, that's not exactly how it went down …" Kevin said, recalling his awkward, stumbling final catch.

"Dude, you got a PDA from Tara Monroe?" Brick asked.

Kevin nodded.

"That's awesome!" the recent alumnus enthused.

Kevin couldn't disagree, but still wondered what exactly all the fuss was. "I'm still not getting it …"

"Kevin," Kyle explained, "Tara's been one of the most popular girls at Middleton High since the first day she showed up, must have dated twenty, twenty-five guys in three years, and in all that time no one's ever heard of her planting one on a guy in public like that. You must have some powerful mojo, my man!"

Kevin sank into his seat. "So everyone here knows about this?"

Arnie nodded in affirmation. "You're famous, G-man."

"Oh, man," Kevin moaned, "Tara's dad is here. I am so doomed. It's a one-way trip through the wood chipper for me."

"Well, look on the bright side, G-man," Kyle said. "You'll still be a legend, just not a living one any more."

The lights dimmed and a piercing whistle blew, and the Mad Dog Band's percussion section launched into the drum riff that signaled the start of "Work It Out." The five girls ran onto the stage waving their pompoms, quickly formed their line and began to dance, a redhead on each end, blondes next to them and one brunette in the center.

Five toned, crop-topped, miniskirted bodies moved to the music with grace and precision and a raw, visceral energy. The sensuality was palpable, but clean and wholesome at the same time. Any time it even hinted at going over the line, those beaming, multi-megawatt cheerleader smiles kept it on the right side.

The crowd was enthralled, especially the five boys seated front row center. Four of them watched with eyes riveted on one girl (almost) exclusively. (It would have been asking too much of any boy not to at least glance at the other four beauties a few times.) Kyle Monson was free to look at all five as much as he wanted. Brick and Steve, on either side of him, could just barely hear him repeating over the pounding beat, "(X) is the luckiest guy on the planet," over and over, with the name varying depending on whose girlfriend had his attention at the moment.

Soon after the Mad Dog joined the girls, to the delight of the younger kids, the performance ended to a tumultuous ovation. The cheerleaders remained on stage for the presentation of awards to student athletes and boosters. Jess watched with pride as Steve came up to collect the baseball MVP award.

Tara, standing stage left with Bonnie and Kim, noticed that the brunette seemed to be back to her cocky, confident old self, not like she'd acted when they'd had their private talk earlier. Then Connie and Lonnie Rockwaller came out to present the Booster of the Year award, which was named for their grandfather, and Bonnie seemed to deflate a bit. That's when Ron went into action, commandeering the mike from Mr. Barkin and bringing Bonnie center stage to accept plaudits for her choreography. _Why is Ron helping Bonnie?_ She looked to Kim; Ron's best friend/girlfriend just gave her a slight shrug, she was confused as well. _From the looks Connie and Lonnie are giving him, I bet it has something to do with them. Nice going, Mad Dog!_ Connie seemed about to reach out and snatch the mike away at one point, but Tara caught her eye and shot her a glare that turned her insides to liquid, and she pulled her hand back.

Kim named Bonnie co-captain of the squad, and Bonnie presented the Booster of the Year award to Brick's dad for his support of Middleton High athletics. The program was over. All the cheerleaders except Bonnie left the stage and the crowd began to stream out through the open front and sides of the Pavilion to watch the fireworks show.

Brock Flagg called down to his son. "Brickster, c'mon up here. They're going to take some pictures for the paper."

The big QB climbed up onto the stage as Liz, Tara and Jess came out of a side door to join the rest of the boys.

"Wow, you guys, that was one _hot_ dance!" Kyle enthused. Kevin, Steve and Arnie nodded in agreement.

"We're going out to watch the fireworks show, you guys," Liz said, and she and Arnie headed out of the Pavilion. The two blonde cheerleaders stood beaming at their boyfriends, who grinned back. They couldn't do much else with Mr. B staring down from the stage, where the news photographer was still setting up. Feeling like a fifth wheel, Kyle wandered off.

Tara noticed that her BF appeared lost in space. "Kevin, why are you looking at me like that?"

Kevin blinked and shook his head vigorously to clear it. "Sorry, Tara. You just look so fantastic in your uniform. I was thinking back to the first time I ever saw you, at that pep rally the first week of school freshman year. I never even thought about girls before that, but the second you ran out in that uniform I started feeling things I'd never felt before. From that day, I had the hugest crush on you. If somebody told me then you'd ever be … wow. It's like a fantasy come to life."

Touched, Tara moved closer to him, smiling seductively.

Jess stuck out a hand to hold her back. "Not yet, guys … any second now …"

Kevin turned toward the taller girl, confused. "Huh? Any second … what?"

Just then, the first small rocket of the fireworks show burst in the night sky beyond the open rear of the Pavilion. Jess immediately threw her arms around Steve's neck and pressed her lithe body against him. His hands tenderly caressed her bare lower back beneath the cropped cheer top, and their lips came together in a loving kiss. Kevin's jaw dropped. He looked up at the stage and saw Mr. Barkin simply turn and walk away, his mouth a thin, hard line.

He turned back to Tara. "Okay, what's going on? Why aren't they getting detention right now?"

"The fireworks started, meaning the school's authority over the Picnic is over. It's an insurance thing, I heard. The city fire department's in charge now, Mr. B's PDA rules don't apply any more."

Kevin grinned. "Oh really? And where's your dad now?"

"I saw Mom and him heading out to the lawn to watch the show as we were leaving the stage."

Kevin put his hands around her tiny waist and closed the remaining small distance between them.

"So, you want to go watch the fireworks with me?"

Tara draped her arms over his shoulders and gazed into his gray-blue eyes. "I think you know what I want, G-man," she murmured.

"I think I do at that," the boy said, and he brought his lips to hers.

* * *

Up on stage, the photographer was fussing with his camera. Bonnie watched the proceedings in the nearly empty Pavilion, shaking her head in disbelief. A few people were milling about, pointing and whispering about the two amorous couples near the stage. Further away, she noticed Kyle Monson talking animatedly with a tall, thin girl, who was laughing at something the future QB had just said. 

_This chess nerd's turned Tara from Polly Prim-and-Proper to Queen of the PDA. I can't believe she's swapping spit with that little squirt, while a prime piece of beefcake like Kyle is over there flirting with … who is that? Megan Hadley? That string bean! This is so flawed. It's no good for the squad's standing. Kyle belongs with one of us!_

After a few more shots, the photographer left. Tara and her boyfriend finally came up for air. '_Bout time. Even Jess and Steve didn't last that long._

Kevin glanced up and met the teal eyes of the stone-faced brunette. "Congratulations on getting co-captain, Bonnie," he said. Bonnie said nothing. _Who gave you permission to speak to me, loser?_

Tara turned her head. "Bonnie, c'mon down here and meet Kevin."

Brick jumped down from the stage, reached back up toward Bonnie, and lowered her to the floor in his powerful arms.

"So, this is the new BF you're so into," the new cheer co-captain said. "This week."

"Bonnie, this is Kevin. Kevin, Bonnie."

"Kevin Guberman," the boy said, offering a hand to the curvaceous brunette.

"Like, thrilled," Bonnie said flatly. She turned back to her blonde friend. "That was quite the CPR demo you put on there, T. Never saw that kind of thing from you before."

Tara slipped her arm around her boyfriend's waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "I never had a BF who could kiss like Kevin before."

Brick nudged Bonnie with an elbow. "The G-man's really got it goin' on, huh, Bon?"

Bonnie was really struggling to hold her tongue. _G-man? They gave this loser a nickname, like he's _cool _or something? That's it, chess boy, you're way over the line. _She wanted to lash out, to flat-out _order_ Tara to drop this froob and find an acceptable BF, but knew that would backfire. She had to tread carefully. She pasted a phony smile on her face.

"Let's get together sometime soon and dish, T. Nice meeting you … Kevin. Come on, Brick sweetie, let's go watch the fireworks." She led him away.

Kevin turned back to Tara. "I am sooo feelin' the love," he deadpanned.

Tara, who'd been watching Bonnie walk away, fixed her azure eyes on his once more. "She'll come around. And if she doesn't … you still got me. That enough for you, G-man?"

"Way more than enough," he whispered, pulling her in for another long, loving kiss as a panoply of dazzling pyrotechnics cascaded down from the night sky.

_to be continued …_

* * *

  
The Ultimate game scene is dedicated to Slow White of Boston, silver medal winning mixed club team in the nation at last fall's UPA Club Nationals. 


	10. Chapter 10

Welcome back, readers, to Tara and Kevin's summer. This represents a milestone for me: a chapter number with two digits! I never thought I'd ever do such a thing. Everybody remember the workout outfit Tara bought way back in chapter 2? It's back. Unfortunately, so is the jock she dumped while buying it.

Thanks to everyone who's reading, and to the reviewers of chapter 9: spectre666, AtomicFire, Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, cpneb, Commander Argus, whitem, ZK Chromedragozoid, MrDrP, Joe Stoppinghem, Dr. J0nes, Kradeiz, CastaS, and dartblade.

I couldn't imagine doing this without the help of my beta reader, MrDrP. A roll of tokens for the pitching machines at Farley's Frozen Rope is on its way to him.

Special thanks to Jeriddian for technical assistance.

Disclaimer: Disney owns Kim Possible and these characters.

* * *

**Mating Games**

by  
_campy_

_Chapter 10_

Kevin awoke early the day after the Mad Dog Picnic. He smiled to himself as he thought back on the event. That Saturday had been yet another recent contender for the title of Best Day of Kevin's Life. Everyone who was anyone at Middleton High now knew about Tara and him, and they thought it was cool. They thought _he_ was cool!

_Except Bonnie._

He threw off the sheet and got out of bed. _Ow ow ow!_ He ached all over. _Guess I overdid the jockdom yesterday._

Gingerly, he made his way downstairs to the kitchen, where his mother was drinking coffee and perusing the Sunday _Examiner._ Donna Guberman quickly shifted into Dr. Warren mode when she saw the way he was moving. "Kevin! What happened to you? Why are you moving like that?"

"Just a little stiff. I fell a few times playing Frisbee with Tara and some others at the picnic yesterday. I'll be okay."

"Are you bruised? Come over here, let me check you out."

"Mo–o–mmm!"

"Don't 'Mom' me, young man, get over here and pull up your shirt."

With an exasperated sigh, he complied. She softly palpated a bruise on his ribcage. "You got this just from tossing a Frisbee around?"

"Well, it was more like Ultimate Frisbee, with some football players and other jocks. It got pretty intense. I guess I overdid it trying to keep up."

"So you tried to become superjock to impress some girl? Oh, Kevin."

"Mom! Tara's not just 'some girl'! She's the most amazing girl ever. Well, after you, but you're taken."

"Nice save, Mr. Smooth Talker. Now, anything under your pants I need to look at?"

"No, _Doctor_," he said, blushing.

"Well, you should be fine in a day or two, then. I just hope all that effort paid off."

Kevin didn't reply. He just had a goofy grin on his face.

* * *

"… Tara's new BF …" 

The name coming from her younger sister's lips pierced Connie Rockwaller's consciousness as she neared the kitchen of her family home. Her interest was piqued right away; the little blonde girl had quickly displaced baby sister to become Connie's least favorite person on Earth. She quietly entered the kitchen and saw Bonnie sitting at the counter, cordless phone to her ear. She listened intently to Bonnie's end of the conversation while pouring herself a diet soda.

Connie and Lonnie had despised their sister ever since she'd come along to push them out of the spotlight at age four, and their dislike had only intensified when they'd come to blame the newcomer for Dad's moving out a few years later. Privately, though, for all the sisters put her down, Connie had to admit that Bonnie seemed to be a worthy bearer of the Rockwaller name. Cunning, manipulative, willing to use anyone to get what she wanted. _She's smarter than Lonnie, that's for sure._

Bonnie's blonde friend was the main topic of the younger girl's conversations. She was apparently pumping her friends for information about a new guy Tara was dating, a guy Bonnie didn't seem to approve of. Connie listened, fascinated, as Bonnie learned more about the boy.

_Blondie's dating a chess nerd? Figures. Any guy with options would run from that psycho._

Bonnie put down the phone and started to rise from her chair.

"So, you're going to do something about this nerd, right?"

Bonnie sighed. "I don't know … Wait a sec." She turned toward her sister. "You're talking to me? What's going on?"

"I'm curious. Last night, a couple of losers you've been dumping on for years went to bat for you unasked. People Lonnie and I treated like that in high school wouldn't spit on us if we were on fire. I'd like to know what's going on."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow very slightly, but doubted Connie's sincerity. "Why?"

"Lonnie figures they feel sorry for you 'cause you're such a pathetic enemy, but I say maybe you're just that good at manipulating people. Maybe we misjudged you all this time. Maybe you're really a Rockwaller."

Connie could see Bonnie was beginning to buy it. She continued. "So, I assume you're already planning to push the skinny redhead out and take over the whole cheer squad?"

"Well, duh," Bonnie said.

"Then you have to break up Tina and the nerd."

"It's Tara, and I'm not sure I need to bother. Everyone I talked to, except for Liz' ex, seems to like him. Besides, what are the chances it'll last anyway? Tara changes boyfriends like shoes …"

Connie shook her head. "You can't think like that, Bonnie. If you want to rule the Food Chain, then your word decides who's cool or not. Besides, Blondie was your loyalest follower. If she starts thinking for herself, what's going to happen with the rest of your little group? They'll all drift away and stop listening to you. You'll never be captain then."

"Hmm, you may have a point."

"You know I do."

As Bonnie considered the older girl's logic, Connie grinned at her new twist on an old adage. _The enemy of my enemy is … my sister._

* * *

Kevin invited Tara over for chess that afternoon. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite pool weather, with thick clouds and cooler temperatures. That vexed him, since Tara had been hinting that she would wear her less modest suit next time they went swimming. He was looking forward to seeing it. 

They started with speed chess, best two out of three—Tara won two straight games—then moved on to an untimed game. Kevin won that.

"Good game, G-man," Tara said. "I'll get you one of these days, though."

"I have no doubt," he said with a smile. "But I'm going to start beating you in speed chess someday."

"We'll see about that. How about another game of this first?"

"Sure. I could go for a cold drink, though," Kevin said. "Want anything?"

"Good idea," Tara agreed. "What've you got?"

"Let's see."

The two teens went to the kitchen portion of the room. Kevin opened up the big Below-Freezing refrigerator and peered inside. "There's apple, cranberry, and pineapple juices. Also milk."

"I'll take apple," said the blonde. "Where are the glasses?"

"That cabinet there," Kevin said, pointing behind her. He twisted the cap of the juice bottle, but couldn't get it open. He wiped his hand on a dishtowel and tried again. "Unghh. Who closed this thing, The Hulk? Hold on, Mom has a gadget here that can give me some leverage."

He put the bottle down on the center island and began rummaging through first one drawer, then another. Finally, he found the device he sought. He turned back to find the bottle open and Tara perched on a barstool across the island, sipping her juice.

"How'd you open that?" he asked.

"Just twisted it," she replied.

"Huh. I guess I must have loosened it for you," Kevin said.

Tara gave a sort of snorting snicker into her juice, nearly spilling some.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kevin asked. "How else could you open it when I couldn't?"

Tara squirmed in her seat, looking embarrassed. "Dunno," she mumbled.

"C'mon, Tar, I can tell you've got something on your mind. Spill it."

Tara took a sip of juice, and then set her glass down. "Kevin, have you ever seen the cheer squad do a pyramid?"

"Duh, of course."

"And where am I usually in them?"

"On the bottom."

"And why do you think Kim puts me there? It's because I'm one of the strongest on the squad."

"Yeah, but still … you're a girl."

Tara looked down at her chest. "Ohmigod, you're right! Wow, that keen diagnostic eye will certainly serve you well in your medical career. FYI, we 'girls' happen to train very hard for cheerleading. We lift weights and everything. I bet I'm stronger than you are."

Kevin looked skeptical.

Tara got off her stool, moved her glass to the counter behind her and, turning back to the center island, planted her right elbow on the counter with her hand held out. "Okay, G-man, you think you can take me, arm wrestle me, right here, right now," she challenged.

"What? That's nuts."

"C'mon, Chess Boy, bring it."

Shaking his head, Kevin leaned over the island and clasped Tara's hand. "Ready?"

She nodded.

"On three," he said. "One, two, _three!"_

He pushed hard against her arm, but was only able to move it slightly before Tara returned it to vertical. Then, with a smug grin on her face, she slowly forced his arm down, down, down until his hand hit the counter. She let go.

Kevin sank onto on a stool, rubbing his arm, a stunned look on his face.

Aghast, Tara scurried around the island and sat down next to him. "Kevin! Oh, no!" she gasped, stroking his arm tenderly. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Just did not expect that, is all. Wow."

Tara stood up, led him over to the family room sofa, and sat down close to him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. It's just, I promised myself that first day we played chess online that I'm done hiding things about myself for fear people won't like me. You must think I'm some kind of freak or something."

"What? No, not even close, Tara," he reassured her. "You're great. You probably think I'm a total wimp, though," he said, looking away.

Tara reached out and placed a hand on his cheek, and gently pulled his face back to her. "No way, Kevin," she said softly. "You're the exact opposite of a wimp. Disc yesterday proved that, as if it needed proving. You played all out, never gave up. But, let's face it, I exercise a lot. You don't."

"And you're okay with this?"

"Yes, Kevin, I really like you. I think you're the best BF I've ever had." She batted her long lashes at him and parted her lips expectantly.

He gazed down into those beautiful azure eyes, then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. As they kissed, one tiny corner of his mind reflected bemusedly on the wonder of it: barely sixty seconds ago this same girl had practically beaten him up, now she was making him feel like he was the strongest man in the world. But he was a teenage boy kissing a beautiful, sexy girl that he'd had a crush on ever since puberty first hit, so it was only a few seconds before all thought was driven from his mind.

Later that night, though, he thought about what he'd learned in the kitchen. It was great that Tara accepted him as is, but he was still embarrassed. It was time to take action, he decided. He reached for his cell phone and called a familiar number.

"Steve? It's Kevin …"

* * *

Tara tried Kevin's new cell number, but was shunted to voicemail. 

"Hey, Kev, it's me. Just wondering if you wanted to do something today. I'll try your house."

She punched another speed-dial key. This time Kevin's father answered.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi Dr. Guberman, it's Tara."

"_Hi, Tara, how are you?"_

"Just fine, sir, and you?"

"_Very well, thanks."_

"Is Kevin around?"

"_Sorry, no, he went out just a little while ago. Said something about meeting Steve somewhere."_

"Huh. Well, thanks, Dr. G. Maybe Jess knows what's up."

She then called her friend.

"Hey Jess, what's that hottie boyfriend of yours up to? I can't find Kevin, and his dad says he's with Steve."

"_Steve's at the school working out this morning, T."_

"You sure?" Tara asked.

"_Poz. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the weight room, without fail, sculpting that incredible bod."_

Tara pondered this. _Uh oh, what have I done?_

"Sooo, Jess, want to come run some laps on the track with me? It's time for my new workout outfit to get a road test."

* * *

"So, you gonna tell me why we're doing this, Kev?" 

In the Middleton High weight room, Kevin took a long pull from his water bottle and swallowed. "It's Tara. I found out yesterday she's like twice as strong as me."

"And this subject came up ... how?" Steve asked as Kevin lay down on the bench.

Kevin hefted the bar and began his second set of bench presses. "Well, we were in the kitchen – and there was this bottle of juice – that I couldn't open, but she did, and I – said I musta loosened it for her, and – she starts laughing – and, well, next thing we were – arm wrestling, and she totally owned me."

"Wrestling ... with Tara. Sounds like a no-losers activity to me," Steve said with a grin.

Kevin shot him a glare as he placed the barbell back on its pegs. "I'm serious. She's like an Amazon or something, like one big, girl-shaped muscle. I bet she could lift me up over her head and throw me across this room if she wanted."

"Yeah, well, I know Tara's pretty strong. I've seen the cheerleaders in here a lot. Possible has them weight training a couple times a week. They're all in great shape."

"Yeah, I can see that," Kevin said.

"I said '_in_ great shape', not '_had_ great shapes', smart aleck. I was in here last winter when this bunch of girls from the softball, basketball, and other teams started ragging on the squad, saying they were wasting valuable weight room time 'cause they weren't _real_ athletes. It went back and forth 'til the squad challenged them to put up or shut up. They held a bench-press contest."

"And …?"

"Five against five, add up each girl's maximum bench, highest total wins. You know that big girl Valerie, does the shot put?"

"Yeah."

"She lifted the most—but only by ten pounds, over guess who?"

"Not Tara?"

Steve nodded. "Tara, Bonnie, Crystal and Hope all beat the second-place girl from the sports teams. It was a rout."

"Huh, I'd've thought Kim would be in there."

Steve shook his head. "The other team wouldn't even agree unless she sat out."

"So, how much can Tara bench?"

Steve looked at the barbell Kevin was pressing. "Uh … I'll tell you in a couple of months, Kev."

"Oh, man, that bad?"

The boys' conversation was interrupted by a long, piercing wolf whistle coming from the entrance.

"Wow, you really called it, Jess. You said we'd find a couple of real hunks working out this morning, and here they are."

The boys looked toward the doorway at the two blonde beauties.

Jessica was just inside the room leaning against a rack of free weights, her long, toned legs displayed by apricot-colored running shorts with white piping that ran around the leg openings and up the deep side vents to the waistband. Above that, she wore a gray sports bra and a cropped white mesh singlet that showed off her flat tummy.

Tara stood in the doorway, hands on hips, flaunting her skintight, neon pink CB outfit with so much attitude that, as hot as she'd looked the day she'd bought it, she looked ten times hotter now.

She strode toward the two goggle-eyed boys with a stern glint in her eyes. "You better not be working my BF too hard here, Steve."

Jess sauntered over to join the trio, a salacious grin on her face. She sidled up next to her boyfriend. "Don't worry, T," she said as she ran her index finger up and down the vein running along his bulging right bicep. "I think we can all agree that my Stevie here knows his way around a weight room. Kevin's in good hands."

Tara grabbed her boyfriend's arm. "C'mere, you, I want to talk." She guided him over to the other side of the room as Jess pushed Steve down onto a sturdy metal exercise seat and dropped into his lap.

"You're doing this because of what happened yesterday, aren't you, Kevin? Oh, I knew I should have just kept my big mouth shut. I hurt your feelings. I told you, I like you fine just the way you are."

Kevin shook his head. "No, Tara, of course not …"

Tara narrowed her eyes.

"Well, okay, yeah. But really, this is a good thing. Mom's been after me for years to get more exercise, but I never wanted to. I always associated working out with the muscle-headed jocks we have at this school. But now Steve's turned into Mr. Star Athlete Adonis and he's still my best friend, and you … you're the greatest, sweetest girl in the world, and you work out. And did I mention you look fantastic in that outfit, by the way?"

Tara smiled and blushed. "Well, if you want this, I guess I can deal with a BF with muscles. As long as he's cute and smart and funny and plays chess and is a super kisser."

"Yeah, I want to do this. Besides, I need to take better care of myself for the college and med school grind ahead. Plus it'll help me with chess."

Tara raised a quizzical eyebrow. "You're gonna have to walk me through that one. Blonde here, remember?"

"Just picture it: it's a big match, and I walk up to my opponent and get right in his face, then I rip my shirt off," he pantomimed this, and then hunched his shoulders, striking a pose Tara remembered seeing from some TV wrestlers, "and I go, '_I hate your guts! I'm takin' you down, slime! Uhhhh!' _He'll be so intimidated I'll win in a walk."

Tara giggled. "You goof," she said affectionately.

"And don't worry, Jess is right about Steve, he's not gonna let me hurt myself in here. He had me warm up and stretch and everything. He's a great trainer."

"That's good," she said running her hands up and down his bare arms, "but even so, you'll still be really sore tomorrow. You should call me and I'll come over and give you a massage."

"Ma– ma– massage?" Kevin stammered.

She leaned in close and whispered, "With scented oil." Then she gave him a soft, tender kiss.

When she broke off the kiss Kevin was practically catatonic. She glanced over at the other couple; Steve's muscle shirt had somehow been pushed way up, and Jess was kissing him passionately, her left hand tracing his rock-hard abs.

Tara took a moment to picture Kevin's head atop that chiseled torso. _Yeah,_ she thought, smiling to herself, _a few muscles on _my_ boy would not be a bad thing._

"Yo, Sundstrum," she called out.

"Yeah, T?" Jess replied, somehow without her lips ever breaking contact with Steve's.

"Get your sexy butt in gear and let's hit that track. Those laps aren't gonna run themselves."

Jess reluctantly extricated herself from her boyfriend's embrace and the two girls headed toward the door.

"Come find us after you finish up in here, okay?" Jess said before they headed out to run.

Steve shook himself out of his blonde-induced daze, then snapped his fingers to get Kevin's attention. "Okay, G-man, you look like you got a nice testosterone boost there. Now give me one last set on the bench with ten more pounds."

Kevin complied and then Steve showed him several more exercises. When Steve judged that Kevin had done enough for his first time the two boys started to leave to rejoin their girlfriends. As they started for the weight room door, Jason Morgan entered.

The star basketball forward looked down at the two friends—at 6'2" he topped Steve by about three inches, and towered over Kevin by a good eight—and sneered. "Hey, we finally get a towel boy for the weight room? Great idea!"

"Very funny, Morgan" Steve said. "Kevin was working out."

"The weight room's for athletes only, runt," Jason said, addressing Kevin.

"That's not true and you know it, Morgan," Steve said.

"Well, there's got to be some rule against losers," Jason riposted.

"Loser?" Kevin asked. "Wouldn't the guy who Tara dumped be the loser?"

Jason bristled, but quickly formed his sneer again. "I'm the one who dumped Tara, squirt."

"That's not what I heard," Steve said.

Jason's nostrils flared noticeably. "The Big J was just too much man for her. I told her to go back to the minors and work her way back up. Looks like she decided to go all the way down to the pee wee leagues."

Kevin made a move toward the bigger boy, but Steve held out an arm to stop him.

"You're a real tough guy with your buddy right here, huh, shrimpy?" Jason said with a snicker.

Kevin glared back at him.

"Forget it, Kev, he's not worth it," Steve said. "And I'm sure he's got more sense than to spread his bogus stories about Tara where anybody would hear them," he added menacingly.

Jason blinked.

"C'mon, Kev, let's go find the girls," Steve said.

* * *

After reuniting at the school track, the two couples went their separate ways for the afternoon. Steve had to work at the batting cages, and Jess planned to hang around there with him. (The sofa in Mr. Farley's office was perfect for make-out sessions.) 

Kevin and Tara sat on the bleachers, discussing what they wanted to do. Since the weather forecast called for a hot and sunny afternoon, they decided on another pool day. They both went home to change—after a brief side trip to check out one of the private places under the bleachers.

While she was home changing, her cell phone rang. It was Bonnie.

"Hi, Bonnie."

"_Hi, Tara. Listen, I was thinking we should get together so I can get to know your new BF better. How about the two of you come out to the beach with Brick and me this afternoon?"_

"Um, let me ask Kevin, Bonnie," Tara said.

She put the brunette on hold and called her boyfriend.

"Hey, Kevin, Bonnie wants us to get together with her and Brick at the lake this afternoon. You want to? Or I could invite them to your pool with us?"

_Bonnie Rockwaller … here?_ Kevin shuddered. "Uh, why don't we do the lake? That's something new."

"Okay, hold on." She put him on hold and reconnected with Bonnie.

"Bonnie? Yeah, the lake sounds cool."

"_Great! Brick and I will pick you up in an hour."_

"Okay, I'll have Kevin come over here." She ended the call and reconnected with Kevin to tell him the plan.

* * *

Bonnie put down the phone and looked across the kitchen table. "Okay, she went for it." 

Connie grinned evilly. "Good. Now, this is mostly for intelligence gathering—but there's a couple of things you might try if the opportunity comes up …"

_to be continued …_

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to everyone who voted for _Mating Games_, the _Essential Ronness_ series, and/or your grateful author in the second annual Fannie Awards. Tune in February 17th for the gala awards ceremony presented by Zaratan, right here on fanfiction dot net. 


	11. Chapter 11

Welcome. Today, Tara and Kevin go into Chapter 11. Not the bad kind, thank heaven.

I was shamefully remiss last time in failing to acknowledge a generous soul who responded to my request for technical assistance with chapter 10. I have since corrected the oversight in that chapter, but I want to do so here as well: Thanks very much, Jeriddian. Any of you (at least, those for whom the M for Mature Audiences section is not off-limits) interested in the further adventures of Tara and Kevin should check out his story _Queen's Gambit Accepted_, now in progress.

Thanks to everyone who's reading and to the reviewers of chapter 10: spectre666, AtomicFire, MrDrP, Kradeiz, Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, qtpie235, CastaS, ZK Chromedragozoid, Dr. J0nes, whitem, daywalkr82, Joe Stoppinghem, and dartblade.

Special thanks to MrDrP for beta reading.

Disclaimer: Disney owns Kim Possible and these characters.

* * *

**Mating Games**

by  
_campy_

Chapter 11

"_Move it, move it  
to the border, border_  
'_cause we're givin' the order  
givin' the or–der oh yeah! …"_

The big, blond man/boy gleefully drummed on the steering wheel and sang along to the bouncy hip-hop tune blaring from the convertible's stereo speakers.

"Aughh! Brick, will you _please_ stop singing that stupid song!" Bonnie moaned from the back seat.

"No, Brick, don't stop! I like it!" Tara implored from the seat beside the brunette. "I never heard this song before, what is it?"

"It's from some stupid Mousey Channel movie Brick likes, about a kid who gives up wrestling to play, like, patty-cake or something."

"Extreme hopscotch, Bonnie," Brick corrected her from the driver's seat. "The movie's called _Hop On_. It's C–O–O–L."

"It's L–A–M–E, Brick," Bonnie shot back. "Everything on that channel's for little kids."

Brick looked over at Kevin, riding shotgun. "La … me? Is that France-ish or something?" he asked the chess captain.

"I think she means 'lame', big guy."

"Don't you listen to her, Brick," Tara insisted. "You keep that child-like wonder going as long as you can!"

Kevin turned in his seat to watch as his blonde girlfriend started to bop along to the music.

Tara thrust her arms in the air and writhed in her seat. "Yeah! You ought to choreograph a dance to this, Bonnie. It's got a good beat."

Kevin smiled. Bonnie rolled her eyes.

Brick pulled into a parking space at the Lake Middleton beach and shut off the red roadster's engine. The three teens and Brick (who had recently turned twenty) got out of the car and collected their gear from the trunk.

As would be expected on a beautiful summer day, the beach was swarming with teens. Bonnie quickly spotted four or five hotties who would be just ideal for Tara, should she come to her senses and dump the nerd.

They chose a spot for themselves and set up. Tara spread out her beach blanket, which had a chessboard design in the center.

"Nice blanket, Tar," Kevin said.

Tara grinned. "Yeah, it was packed away in my cedar chest. I haven't used it in years. Check the accessories."

She held out her beach bag and turned it upside down, dumping a pile of small beanbags on the blanket. There were thirty-two, half dark-colored, half light, with chess piece icons embroidered on one side. "We can play beach chess."

"Oh, joy," Bonnie muttered, as she spread out her own beach towel and began to unbutton her shorts.

"Cool!" Brick said, kneeling down next to Tara's blanket. "Can you show me how to play?"

Tara was in the process of removing her shirt to reveal her swimsuit top, which was primarily blue with a large yellow orchid design. The left strap was split by a large tortoise-shell ring for entirely superfluous visual interest. Every boy within a hundred yards, even the ones who were there with dates, had at least half an eye on Tara and Bonnie, whose bright green bikini was completely revealed by this time. Tara then slid her shorts off to reveal her matching bottom, which as advertised was quite a bit less modest than the other suit Kevin had seen. Bonnie's suit, not surprisingly, was smaller still.

Kevin, for his part, couldn't take either of his eyes off Tara, nor keep his jaw from dropping open.

"You like?" she asked coquettishly.

"Very much," the boy replied.

Bonnie cleared her throat theatrically. And then again, even louder. "Brick, how do I look?"

Brick looked up. "You look gorgeous, Bon, like always." He returned to playing with the beanbag chessmen.

Bonnie turned to Kevin. "And what do you think of my suit, Kevin?" she asked flirtatiously, hoping for a reaction that might get Tara's back up a bit.

The boy barely glanced at her. "It's really nice, Bonnie." He returned his attention to Tara.

"Great suit, B," Tara said. "Jess tried to get me to buy one like it in CB last month."

"Not quite your style, T," Bonnie said with a smirk. "Yours is more … you. Oh hi, Kyle."

Kyle Monson had joined the group. "Hi, girls. Yo, Brickster, G-man."

"Monson!" Brick exclaimed. "Look, G-man and Tara are gonna teach me chess."

_Yum, now here's a guy Tara should be all over. _"Kyle, you're looking so good these days," Bonnie said, reaching out to squeeze the boy's bicep. "I'm sure you're going to be the new Mad Dog quarterback this fall."

"Me too," Tara said.

"I hope so," Kyle said modestly. "But whoever the next QB is, he'll be in for a tough season if we don't get some help at running back."

Tara slipped an arm around Kevin's waist. "Hey, Kevin started working out today. Maybe he should try out," she said. "I'd love to cheer for you, Kev."

"Me? Uh, don't think so."

Bonnie laid a hand on Tara's shoulder and laughed. "Oh, that's so funny, T. That's about as likely as Stoppable joining the team." She looked at Kevin. "Uh, no offense."

_Riiight. Of course not._ "Oh, none taken, Bonnie," Kevin said. "I'm much better off doing what I've been doing the last three years: sitting in the stands watching Tara."

Tara smiled and whispered in his ear, "Maybe we can even sneak under the stands for a few minutes during halftime, G-man."

Bonnie felt like screaming. _How could Tara prefer this skinny little kid to a hunk like Kyle? Time to stir the pot. _"So Kyle, doesn't Tara's bikini look great on her?"

"Oh, definitely. Both you girls look terrific. I bet most of the guys here are wishing they were in G-man's or Brick's place right now."

"Whoa, flag on the play, pigskin boy," came an amused voice from behind him. "No passes to the cheerleaders while you're with me."

Kyle turned slightly to smile at the tall, blue-eyed, russet-haired, bikini-clad figure of Megan Hadley. "Wouldn't dream of it, Meg."

"You two are together now?" Bonnie said, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Congratulations," Tara said with a warm smile.

"Yeah," Megan said, linking hands with her date. "Since Picnic. We watched the fireworks show, and then Kyle gave me a ride home."

Tara grinned slyly. "Why do I get the idea there were a few private fireworks, too?"

Megan blushed and bumped shoulders with Kyle. "We hit it off right away. He's one of the few guys in our class I see eye-to-eye with."

Tara, who'd been trying to figure out why the towering volleyball star looked so different that day, finally put her finger on it. "Wow, Megan, you're actually standing up straight for a change. It's about time, you look amazing."

"Thanks. It feels good not to have to slump over." Megan grinned and patted her date on the head. "Kyle doesn't mind that I'm taller than him."

"You are not!" he mock protested.

"Am too," she teased. "I've got you by a quarter inch, at least."

"Nuh uh, Hadley. Flatten out that curly hair of yours and we'll see," he teased back. "What do you say, G-man?"

"Don't ask me," Kevin said. "I can't tell a thing from down here."

"Well, we've got a little group over there," Megan pointed down the beach, "so stop by later, okay? We can toss the disc around, or something." They headed away.

Brick looked up from the chessboard blanket, where he was arranging the beanbags in football formations. "C'mon, G-man, get down here and show me how to play this game."

Kevin gave Tara a shoulder shrug, then dropped to his knees and began to show Brick the moves of the different chessmen.

Tara picked up her tube of sunscreen and started to apply it. "I think they make a cute couple," she said, as Bonnie watched Megan and Kyle walk away, a sour expression on her face.

"Oh please, Tara. Kyle is a total hottie and our next quarterback. He should be dating a cheerleader, not that stick figure. Look at her, I can't even imagine what's keeping that strapless top from sliding down to her ankles."

"Oh, stop it, Bonnie. Megan's a great girl. She's smart, pretty—tell me you don't envy those long legs—and she's one of the best female athletes Middleton High's ever had."

"Sports don't help girls rate on the Food Chain, T." Bonnie gestured with an open hand up and down first her, then Tara's hourglass forms. "It's all about the curves, and the human bendy straw there hasn't got any."

Tara glared at the brunette. "Look, Bonnie, I am so beyond tired of hearing you put kids down. I'm calling a halt to it as of right now. You want to dis someone, insult your sisters. Or that jerk Jason Morgan. That, I'll listen to all day long. Otherwise, can it!"

Bonnie was unnerved by the heat in her friend's voice. She stared at the blonde, feeling as disoriented as she had at the Picnic. "Okay, okay, sorry," she finally said.

Tara gave her a slight nod, then sat down on the blanket. Kevin, still trying to teach Brick the knight's move, caught her eye and gave her a silent _good going._

Bonnie sat on her beach towel and began to spread her favorite tanning oil over herself, watching Brick and Kevin. _This new Tara is really starting to irk me. It's got to be nerd boy's doing. I am so breaking these two up, whatever it takes._

Bonnie lay there soaking up the sun while Tara and Kevin attempted to teach Brick chess. They weren't having much success.

"No, big guy," Kevin said, "that's a bishop, they move along the diagonals, it's the rooks that move on the rows and columns."

"Which ones are the rooks? The horses? Or these sand-castle dudes? Dang! I just can't keep these pieces straight. I'm just too dumb for this," Brick said dejectedly. "It's a miracle they ever gave me a diploma."

Tara placed a consoling hand on the blond's shoulder. "Don't say that, Brick. These beanbags aren't that easy to tell apart. I bet you'd have an easier time with real chessmen."

"Ya think?"

"Sure, Brickster," Kevin said encouragingly, "much easier."

_Doubt it,_ Bonnie thought, shaking her head. She looked over and noticed Kyle and Megan tossing a football back and forth. As she watched, Megan caught the ball and tried to run past her date, who caught her around the waist and lifted her off the ground, both teens laughing.

"Ah, all this thinking is giving me a headache," Brick said. He noticed Kyle and Megan too. "Hey, let's go join Monson and Hadley, maybe play a game of touch?"

Bonnie had a sudden inspiration. _Ooh, a perfect chance to use one of Connie's ideas! Yeah, this'll really do a number on nerd boy's rep. Maybe even get Tara to dump him right here._ "Good idea, Brick sweetie! Touch football. Girls against the guys."

Tara looked unsure. "I don't know …"

"Come on, T, I hear your BF was the big Frisbee stud at the picnic Saturday. I want to see if he lives up to his hype."

"Okay, I'm game. Kev?"

"Why not?"

The foursome joined Kyle and Megan and started passing the ball back and forth so everyone could get warmed up. The first time Kyle threw the ball to Bonnie, it slipped right through her arms. Tara tried to pick it up, but couldn't hold on. She noticed an oily smear on the ball. "What's this – Bonnie," she scolded, "you got your tanning lotion all over the ball!"

"Oops, sorry," Bonnie said. "Gotta stay moisturized."

Tara rubbed some sand on the ball to clean it, then passed it to Kevin.

As they tossed the ball back and forth, Kevin couldn't help but be amused by the composition of the teams: down the field, one extremely tall, slender girl with two considerably shorter, curvier ones, and on his side, a short, slim boy with two big, muscular ones.

Finally, they started the game.

Bonnie quarterbacked the girls and completed two passes to Megan, who lived up to her sobriquet of Mile High Megan by leaping to haul the pigskin in. On third down, however, Kyle intercepted.

The girls insisted that the boys make Kevin their quarterback, and his first pass attempt was batted down at the line of scrimmage by Megan. On second down he connected with Kyle, who evaded the defense and ran untouched to the end zone.

Bonnie's opportunity came when the boys passed off to her. Step one was to isolate herself against Kevin. She circled behind Tara. "T! Take out Brick!" she shouted.

"Gotcha!"

Tara ran toward Brick, with Bonnie following behind. A few feet away, she pulled up short, looked down at his feet, and pointed. "Brick, your shoe's untied!"

"Huh?" He looked down. "But … I'm not even wearing …" A brunette blur zipped past. "Hey!"

Now everything was set up perfectly. Megan had Kyle occupied (to be honest, there might have been a little holding going on there), so all Bonnie had to do was get past Kevin for the TD. He watched the bikini-clad beauty run at him, expecting her to veer right or left to evade him. Instead, however, she lowered her shoulder and ran right into him, knocking him to the sand and falling on top of him.

"Aaaah! Get your hands off me!" she shrieked. She rolled off him, scrambled to her feet and angrily hurled the football at him. "It's called _touch_ football, not _grope_ football, you little perv!"

The other four came running over, concerned looks on their faces. Kevin was dazed, he hadn't been expecting the hit.

"Bonnie, what happened?" Tara asked.

"Didn't you see? Your little _friend_ tried to cop a free feel while he was tackling me!" Bonnie said indignantly. "He had his hands all over my boobs!"

"Are you sure? Maybe it was an accident."

"I was there, Tara, he was fondling me—on purpose!"

"Is that true, G-man?" Brick asked, sounding hurt, betrayed and angry. "Way uncool, dude."

Kevin sat up slowly, holding his head. "Wha–? No, Brick, I would never … ow."

Tara knelt down beside her BF, confused. Why would he do such a thing? Sure, he was a boy, and his appreciation of the female body was evident, but he'd always been a perfect gentleman with her. And he didn't even like Bonnie. It didn't add up.

She looked back at Bonnie, now cradled in Brick's big arms, still carrying on. He was simultaneously comforting her and shooting threatening looks at Kevin while tenderly brushing off some of the sand that was sticking to Bonnie's back from when she'd been on the ground. Tara saw more sand sticking to her arms, legs and back.

She then noticed some sand adhering to Kevin's arm. She brushed it off; it felt oily, and smelled of coconut. There were more sandy and oily spots on his chest and legs. _Bonnie's lotion._

On a hunch, she examined Kevin's hands. _Hmm, something's hinky._

"Hey Bonnie, if Kevin grabbed you, shouldn't there be oil on his hands?"

Bonnie stopped ranting to Brick and turned around. "What?"

"Look, your coconut oil's all over his chest, arms and legs from when you guys got tangled up, but his hands are clean. And you've got plenty of the stuff on your chest."

"Maybe you just thought you felt something, Bonnie?" Megan said.

_Or … wanted _me_ to think something? Oh, Bonnie, you didn't …_ Tara thought.

Bonnie caught the look on her friend's face. _Uh oh, she's on to me. Damn that oil, I could've made this work. Retreat, quick! _"Well, maybe I was wrong, I really thought … but I guess he couldn't have … I guess I overreacted. Sorry, Kevin." That last bit really hurt to say.

"'S okay, Bonnie," Kevin said, slowly getting to his feet with Tara's assistance.

"There you go," Brick said, relieved. "I knew G-man wasn't that kind of guy."

"You okay to play, Kevin?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, let me sit down for a few first, though," Kevin said.

Tara led him back to the beach blanket.

"So, you still think I should go out for football?" he asked.

Tara grinned ruefully. "No, I guess I like you better in one piece."

"I'm down with that … ow."

"You sure you're okay, Kev?"

He sat down on the blanket, and she sat beside him. "Yeah, just a little dizzy. Bonnie really slammed me. Wow, I thought girls were supposed to be soft."

"We are when we want to be, G-man," Tara said, smiling. "So, is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"I can think of one thing that might help." He leaned over and kissed her. "Ah, I'm feeling better already."

"Not so fast, you," she said as she gently forced him to lie down. "I think you need a few more of Nurse Tara's treatments." She climbed on top of him and repeated her healing efforts until she was certain he was cured.

* * *

Out on the patio behind the Rockwaller home, Connie reached for her cold drink. She took a sip, but found it too diluted by melted ice to enjoy. She put down her book and went inside to freshen it. Entering the kitchen, she found her younger sister at the refrigerator.

"Oh, you're back."

Bonnie, sipping on a diet cola, nodded.

"So, how'd the date go? Find out anything useful about Blondie's nerd?"

Bonnie shook her head. "All I found out is that Tara's really got it bad for the guy. She didn't even glance at any other hotties."

"You try any of the things we talked about?"

"Yeah, we played some touch football, and I tried the 'he groped me' ploy."

"And?"

"Didn't work. She noticed there wasn't any of my tanning oil on his hands."

"Did she suspect you were faking?" Connie asked, hopeful that Bonnie's friendship with Scary Blonde Girl had been damaged.

"Maybe at first …"

_I hope I hope I hope._

"… but I think I smoothed it over."

"Oh, Bonnie," Connie said, shaking her head sadly. "I guess you really don't want to be captain."

"What do you mean? Of course I do. What was I supposed to do?"

"You shouldn't have left any doubt. You should have grabbed his hands and made him pull your top clean off while you had the chance. You could have gotten him dumped, beat up and Blondie back to being an obedient follower."

Bonnie was taken aback by this. "Beat up? Just for being a nerd?"

"That's what I'd have done. You want to be captain, you do whatever it takes." She turned and left the room.

Bonnie watched her sister go, feeling conflicted. On some level, she was genuinely fond of Tara and didn't really want to hurt her. But she desperately wanted to be sole squad captain, and Connie had a point: she needed loyal followers for that. And her older sib's approval was important to her on a visceral level.

_What to do, what to do._

* * *

Despite that Kevin was okay, even well enough to return to the game after his short rest, Tara was still troubled about Bonnie. The idea that she might have set up the football incident on purpose—a stunt that could have severely hurt Kevin, never mind the issue of manipulating Tara's own emotions—was disturbing. In the weeks following the double date, she spent very little time with her old friend, and a great deal of time with her boyfriend.

Kevin, who'd never been one to give up on a project once begun, continued his physical training regimen with Steve. In addition to their thrice-weekly weight-room sessions, he and Tara began going on day hikes in the many hills surrounding Middleton.

Tara knew all the trails in the area very well, having hiked and run on them since her days as a Pixie Scout. She would load up a backpack with a picnic lunch, bottles of water, and a chess set, and Kevin would carry it. They'd hike up a hill in the morning, have lunch and play some chess in a suitable spot, and then hike back. Kevin figured he'd probably spent more time outdoors that summer than in the previous five years combined.

As Kevin grew accustomed to the hikes, Tara would sometimes make them more intense by sprinting away from him some distance from the chosen stop. She noted with pride that Kevin took less and less time to catch up to her each day.

It was late August, about a week before the beginning of school, and Tara and Kevin were hiking up the highest, steepest trail in the area. Kevin, in shorts and a t-shirt, was enjoying the magnificent view—not so much of the Tri-Cities, but of Tara, walking a few feet ahead. She was wearing a tight white tank top over a blue sports bra and her blue athletic shorts with MAD DOGS lettered across the seat. Her swaying hips mesmerized him, and he fervently hoped she wouldn't run away from him that day.

But of course, no sooner had that wish taken form in his mind than she turned, blew him a kiss, and with a wink was off—a good five or six hundred yards from the summit. Kevin swore under his breath as he followed her, with his three liters of water, picnic lunch and chess set weighing him down.

When at last he rounded the final switchback and arrived at the summit, he was panting and covered in sweat. He stopped and bent over, hands on knees, to recover. Tara was sitting on a rock, looking out over the vista. She stood up and sauntered over to him, smiling enigmatically. He noticed something clutched in her left hand, but couldn't tell what it was.

"Excellent, Kevin, I'm really impressed," she said. "I haven't been waiting very long at all."

She walked around behind him and fiddled with his backpack, taking out one of the water bottles. She took a long drink as she came around in front of him again. "Water?"

He took the bottle and drank some water. Tara was still wearing the same strange smile. There was something else different about her, but he had sweat in his eyes, so couldn't really tell what it was. He poured some water over his head and face and handed the bottle back.

Now that he'd rinsed his eyes, he could see what was different about Tara, besides that inscrutable grin. He couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, but when she poured some water over her head, allowing some to wet the front of her tank top, he had no choice but to believe. His eyes bugged out in surprise.

"Uh, Tar?" he said, pointing at her chest. "You, um, lose something along the trail?"

Tara giggled. "I made a slight wardrobe adjustment while I was waiting. Like it?"

"Oh yeah," he said, shrugging off the backpack.

"I'm glad," she said. "I was afraid for a second there I'd misjudged the time, that you'd show up before I was ready. That would have been sooo embarrassing." She moved in very close to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I think it would have put me into cardiac arrest, myself," he said, as he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her in for a brief but tender kiss. "So, is there some special reason for this little surprise?"

"I just want to make sure my badical boyfriend realizes there's more to me than just my firm … grasp of chess strategy."

Kevin blushed. "Tara, you know I think you're the most beautiful, sexy girl in the world, right?"

"Good," she purred. "'Cause I think you're really handsome and sexy too. Plus, I thought this would be a good way to celebrate you becoming such a master at handling the hills." She brought her lips to his for another tender kiss. "So, you ever gonna move those hands from my hips, G-man? I'm about out of double entendres."

He started to slip one hand under her top.

She quickly moved an arm down to stop him. "Let's stay outside the top for now, 'kay?"

"Okay," he said. "Wow, that feels … so good."

"Same from my end," she murmured, sliding her hands under his shirt.

"Hey, how come you get to go under the shirt, and I don't?"

"'Cause I'm special?"

"You got me there," he whispered huskily, as they brought their lips together.

Tara reveled in the feeling of his hands on her body as she let her own roam over his torso. A month of weight training had already made a palpable difference in his physique. He certainly wasn't big like Brick or Kyle, or even Steve Farley, but he'd been so skinny before that even a little added muscle went a long way.

After enjoying each other for a good while, the two teens parted lips, but remained close. Tara removed her hands from Kevin's torso and began to move them up and down his arms. "Mmmm, those mornings with Steve are really starting to pay off, Kev. You are going to draw lots of looks at the squad's beach party next week."

"The legendary cheer squad party? Wow, I've heard rumors about that."

Tara let go of him and picked up the backpack. "Oh, didn't I mention it before? I assume you can come with me? It'll be fun." She sat down on the rock again.

"Sure, I'll come." Kevin sat down on another rock, facing her. "I hear you guys have this hot swimsuit showdown every year."

Tara smirked as she unwrapped the lunch and handed him his sandwich. "It's really not that big a deal. Only Bonnie and a couple others take it seriously."

"Well, I can't imagine anyone being competition for you. You've got such a gorgeous figure."

"You are so sweet. But I don't have a suit tiny enough to really be a factor. You remember Bonnie's from last month?"

"How could I forget? I've still got a green spot on my chest from when she ran into me," he joked.

Tara snickered. "She'll probably wear an even skimpier one next week. And Marcella has a really tiny one … and Jess –"

Kevin grinned. "That I knew. Steve brought Jess to this pool party we had beginning of summer. She created quite a stir with my parents' friends. Good thing there were two cardiologists on hand."

"I bet the middle-aged doctors weren't the only ones who liked her bikini," she said with a smirk.

Kevin looked embarrassed. "Well …"

Tara put down her half-eaten sandwich and took a drink of water. "Hmm, maybe I need to go shopping for a hot new suit. I want my BF paying attention to _me,_ after all …"

"Tara," he said earnestly, "you don't have to wear a skimpy bikini to get my attention …"

"I know," she said, "but now that I have a boyfriend who appreciates me for more than just my looks, who actually respects me for my brains—and by the way, you will respect them so much more when I start trouncing you at chess, Guberman—I feel like maybe I can loosen up a little, y'know? Maybe it's time for me to wear a sexy bikini for a change."

"Well, if you can't, I don't know who can."

"Darn right I can. After all, check my name."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Tara, the mischievous smile from earlier back on her face, rose from her seat and moved in front of him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned over, affording him a spectacular view of her cleavage, and kissed him. "Haven't you noticed, G-man? You can't spell 'Tara' without 'T' …" she purred. Then she stood and, turning slowly, added over her shoulder, "and 'A'."

_to be continued …_

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Yeah, I'm still alive. Strangely unable to compose coherent English sentences, but alive.

When we left off, Tara had given Kevin a spelling lesson, and decided to buy a new, extra-sexy bikini to wear to the cheer squad's beach party. Now, the whole party may have to be cancelled. Who will come to the squad's rescue?

Thanks to everyone who's reading and to those who've submitted reviews since chapter 11 went up: ZK Chromedragozoid, daywalkr82, spectre666, Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, MrDrP, cpneb, AtomicFire, Kradeiz, whitem, Joe Stoppinghem, Jeriddian, CastaS, Yankee Bard, Redbird1, aedan cameron, Thurston, dartblade, and Joel Connell.

Special thanks to MrDrP for beta reading.

Disclaimer: Disney owns Kim Possible and these characters, among other stuff.

* * *

**Mating Games**

by  
_campy_

Chapter 12

"I can't believe I let you talk me into buying this thing," Tara said, shaking her head as she peered into the small shopping bag on her lap. The bag, tiny as it was, had more than ample capacity for its contents: the fruits of her and Jess's Wednesday afternoon shopping trip to Upperton.

"Oh no you didn't, T, you're not pinning any of this on me," her friend said as she guided her mom's Honda down the state highway back to Middleton. "You said you wanted a Bonnie bikini, I just told you where she buys them."

Yvette's of Marigot, in the tony Upperton Galleria, sold the most fashionable swimwear west of the French Riviera and east of Malibu Beach—including the most spectacular, daring, sexy bikinis imaginable. The proprietress was a breathtakingly beautiful retired swimsuit model from the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin, whose brief romance with a pro skier had left her with a deep and abiding love for the Rocky Mountains.

Yvette's boutique did not operate in the usual way, with shoppers browsing through the wares and selecting what they wanted. Instead, women would present themselves before Yvette, perhaps telling her what they had in mind in terms of coverage, and she would decide what suit would best flatter the figure. If the potential customer disagreed, she was free to shop elsewhere. Many women were offended by this policy and stormed out angrily—but when Yvette made a sale, she had a customer for life, because no woman ever left Yvette's with an unflattering suit. Tara thought back on her reaction when she'd first spied the shop's display window …

"Jess, you cannot be serious! All of this fabric put together …" She indicated the half dozen bikinis on display, "wouldn't make up either one of my suits!"

Jess arched an eyebrow. "And your point is?" she said, before grabbing her squadmate's hand and dragging her into the boutique.

Inside, Yvette seemed surprised to see Jess. "_Jessica!_" she gasped, the lilt of the West Indies evident in her voice, "Why 'ave you return to Yvette so soon? There is not the problem,_ j'espere?_ Surely your _Etienne,_ he does not tire of _le hot bikini_ you buy only last month?"

"No way, Yvette," Jess said with a smile. "The suit's bomb on bomb. Steve loves it. We're here for my friend Tara today."

Yvette turned her attention to Tara, who was wearing a short triple-tiered skirt and a top with lacy trim. "Ah, your _amie belle_, she seeks to catch the eye of someone special?"

"No, I've already got his eye," Tara said, crossing her arms. Just being around all the nearly nude mannequins was making her self-conscious.

"She wants the hottest bikini you have," Jess said. "I know you sold our friend Bonnie something recently, right?" Yvette nodded. "Tara needs one even sexier."

"No, actually, I don't," the curvaceous blonde said. "The suit I have is fine. It was a mistake to come out here, I don't need to compete with Bonnie." She turned to leave the shop.

"I think this is perhaps wise of you, _ma petite_. What you ask of Yvette is impossible. Bonnie have buy _un bikini très sexy_ from Yvette last week. You, little one, will never have _le sex appeal_ like Bonnie have."

Tara froze and turned slowly. "Excuse me?" she said icily.

"_C'est vrai,_ it is true. _Oui,_ you are indeed beautiful of face, and the blonde hair is _splendide_, and as for the figure, _c'est magnifique_. But _le sex appeal, _it is not found in those things. _Le sex appeal _is found in the bearing, the attitude. Bonnie, she 'ave the attitude that say, 'I am _tout cette'_—how is it you say _en anglais?_—all that. You …" she held out a hand, palm down, and waggled it, "… _pas_ so much."

"You listen here, lady," Tara spat angrily. "You've only known me for two minutes, you don't know the first thing about me. And I don't care how many Eurotrash playboys you've fugggh–"

Jess clamped a hand over Tara's mouth. "Whoa, whoa, T, chill," she said, placing both her hands on her friend's shoulders placatingly. "Yvette, I can tell you right now: you're underestimating Tara. She may come off kinda demure in public … usually … but you ought to see her with her boyfriend, Kevin. When she's with him, let me tell you, this girl brings _le sex appeal_ like you've never seen it brought."

A sly smile turned up the corners of Yvette's sensual lips. "Ah, so this Kevin, he is your lover? He is, how you say, _le hottie?_"

"Kevin's my boyfriend, and he liked me when I was just words on a computer screen," Tara said. "I don't need any skimpy bikini to appeal to him, he thinks I'm sexy no matter what I wear. The day he asked me out I was dressed like a total slob, and he told me I was beautiful. And yeah, he's my hottie."

"Ah,_ je comprends, _I understand now. You are like Jessica with her _Etienne._ She come to Yvette asking for _le hot bikini_ to express how sexy he make her feel. She wish for the other boys to look upon her and envy her lover, that he have what they cannot."

"And the suit worked like a charm, Yvette," Jess said. "At Mad Dog Picnic I was even holding my own against Bonnie for guys' attention—but with Tara's assets, that much is a given. What she wants is a bikini so hot it'll totally put Bonnie in the shade."

Yvette studied Tara for a full minute, while the platinum-haired cheerleader gazed steadily back at the statuesque ex-model. Then Yvette nodded and went behind the sales counter, emerging a moment later with a tiny black bikini.

"Long time has Yvette had _le despair_ over ever finding the woman to wear this bikini. But as soon as Tara speak of her lover, Yvette realize that she is one with _le sex appeal_ to carry it off. Here." She held the garment, such as it was, out to her.

"I'm supposed to wear this?"

"_Oui, mademoiselle _Tara, this is _le hot bikini_ that is _idéale_ for you."

"But … there's nothing to it!"

"Oh, stop it, T, the one Yvette sold me is smaller."

"_C'est vrai. Mademoiselle_ Jessica, she have not the need of the support as much as Tara."

"Yvette, you are the very soul of tact," Jess said with a wry grin.

"Well, I guess I can try it on …"

The two girls went into the mirrored dressing area and Tara went into a curtained cubicle to try on the bikini. A few minutes later, Jess grew impatient.

"Come on, T, what's the holdup? Get out here."

Tara poked her head through the curtains. "Jess, there's no way I can wear this thing in public," she whined. "I feel completely naked."

"Yeah, well, I've seen you naked a million times, Tara. Now let me see the suit."

Tara reluctantly came out, and Jess's jaw dropped open. Yvette had done it again: the abbreviated bikini looked spectacular on Tara, supporting and accenting her curves perfectly. The jet black made a dramatic contrast with her platinum hair and her creamy skin, almost all of which was exposed.

"Tara, you have _got _to wear that to the party," Jess said, awe in her voice. "You look sooo fantastic. I mean, wow! I think I would gladly murder you right this second if I could steal your figure."

"But Jess," Tara said reasonably, "why would you want to do that? Your BF already thinks you're the most gorgeous babe ever. You do remember your BF, Steve, don't you? Or should I say _Etienne?"_

"Hmmm, this is a good point," Jess said. "Man, T, you have gotten all logical lately. You're like that pointy-eared alien guy on _Space Passage_. You sure you're a real blonde?"

"Ha ha. You know very well I'm a real blonde, Sundstrum." She checked her reflection in the three-way mirror and tugged at the swimsuit's bottom. "And if I wear this piece of floss in public, everyone will know it."

"Yeah, we need to get you in to see Mona at the day spa for a wax …"

"I don't know, maybe I should just wear my orchid print. You'll probably wear your black suit, right? We shouldn't wear the same color."

Jess shook her head. "Nice try, T, but I was planning on wearing my multicolor bandeau. That's Steve's favorite."

"I'm still not sure …"

"C'mon, T, you gotta go for it. You know you want to upstage Bonnie. Oh, I so want to see her reaction when you take off your coverup. She'll turn as green as Kim's eyes. I'm betting actual steam will come out of her ears, like in cartoons. And just picture Kevin's face …"

Yvette came into the dressing area and eyed Tara critically. Then her face lit up in a huge smile. "Ah, _tres bien!_ Did Yvette not tell you? This is _le bikini_ that was made to be worn by Tara."

"Yeah, it's nice … what there is of it. Got anything with a little more … more?"

"_Non._ If you wish to be more sexy than Bonnie, that is what you must wear. Buy this one or go to another shop, is up to you. Yvette believe Smarty Mart still have some swimsuits on _le clearance rack._"

Tara studied her reflection in the mirror, torn. She loved the idea of showing up Bonnie, and showing off for Kevin. The idea of him seeing so much of her was beginning to appeal to her—a lot. But the other boys …

* * *

Bonnie Rockwaller, on the other hand, loved showing off her sexy body to boys. Brick had left for college the day before, and to no one's surprise she'd given him the "let's feel free to see other people" talk first. Now, she was free to flirt to her heart's content—and not just for her own sake. She was soaking up the sun at Lake Middleton on that Friday afternoon, scouting for some cute guys to come to Beach Bash for the cheerleaders who would be there without boyfriends: herself, Marcella and Liz, who'd decided there were just no sparks between her and Arnie Custer and had broken things off amicably.

Bonnie was also counting Tara as an unattached cheerleader, since her boyfriend was so unsuitable. To her annoyance, though, she seemed to be the only one who thought that.

"… So Tommy," she said to the school's star tennis player, "I'll bet Tara would just love it if you came to our party."

"But I thought Tara and the G-man were still tight …"

Bonnie groaned inwardly._ I so hate that nickname. _"Believe me, T will be ready to trade up real soon."

"I dunno," Tommy said. "I mean, if they actually broke up first, then sure, I'd gladly make a play for Tara …"

"Oh, forget it!" Bonnie snapped, before stalking off.

Kyle Monson was there, but he still only had eyes for Megan Hadley, so Bonnie didn't bother asking him. His teammate Jeff Stafford, hunky wide receiver, the kind of guy who was made to date cheerleaders, actually turned Bonnie down flat. "Sorry, Bon, I've sorta been seeing someone for the last couple weeks."

"Oh? Who?"

"Judy Gervase, from marching band."

"You? With a bandie?"

"She plays French horn. They say all that practice does something to a girl's lips, and y'know, I think they're right, 'cause Judy's, like, the most amazing kisser …"

_Not another jock dating down the Food Chain! Augghhh! This just gets worse and worse._

Bonnie was closing in on another hot prospect when several official-looking vehicles, led by a state police SUV with lights flashing, pulled into the lake's parking area. Several of the new arrivals began posting "KEEP OUT" signs and stringing orange plastic tape from tree to tree. A state trooper with a bullhorn stepped out of the lead vehicle.

"Attention everyone!" his amplified voice commanded. "This area is closed until further notice by order of the state Department of Public Health and Environment! Please gather your belongings and leave immediately."

Bonnie strode over to the trooper. "What do you mean closed?" she asked. "What's going on here?"

The trooper looked the tanned, bikini-clad brunette up and down behind his mirrored sunglasses before replying. "Talk to the doc, miss," he said, jerking his thumb in the direction of a short, bespectacled, balding man in a white lab coat, holding a clipboard. "He's callin' the shots today."

Bonnie sought out the scientist in charge. "Hey you," she called. "Why are you closing the lake?"

"I'm sorry, young lady," the man said, "but this is an environmental emergency. It seems the water level was raised by the wet weather you had here this summer, and the Four-toed Western Pond Frogs have moved their breeding habitat over here. The whole beach will have to be closed for three weeks."

"What! Who cares about some stupid frogs! We need our beach! My cheer squad is supposed to have a party here in two days."

"Oh, that would be very short-sighted, miss. You see, these frogs are very important to the lake's ecosystem. They keep the _Craspedacusta sowerbyi_ in check by feeding on their roe."

"Craspa-whozis?"

"_Craspedacusta sowerbyi. _Freshwater jellyfish. Believe me, miss," he said portentously, "you do _not_ want to see that population increase …"

Bonnie packed up her things and returned to her new white roadster. She had less than 48 hours to find a new site for the party. Breaking out her new cell phone, she made a few calls, but every place with a pool was already booked for this, the unofficial end of summer.

_Maybe we could use the pool at Hope's house,_ she thought. She phoned her friend.

"Have the party here?" the raven-haired Asian-American girl said in response to her question. "Bonnie, you've got to be kidding. You know how strict my parents are. They'd insist on supervising every minute, like we were third graders or something. Our beach bash will be the beach bore. The Robotics Club party would be a wilder time."

"But Hope, we have to find some place …" Bonnie insisted.

"C'mon, Bonnie, you've seen the swimsuits they make me wear. The bikini contest would completely freak them out. We'd be lucky to get three girls out of their coverups before they pulled the plug on us."

Bonnie shuddered. _Better no party at all than a dud._ She then called Crystal, Liz and Marcella, but they had no useful ideas. The next girl she called did, however.

"Y'know who has a great pool we might be able to use?" Jess said. "Kevin."

"Kevin? Kevin who?"

"You know, Tara's Kevin."

"I don't know, Jess. Having a BF host the party doesn't seem right …" _Especially when he's a total Nerd Boy who shouldn't even be allowed _near _a cheerleader._

"Well, that's all I got, B," Jess said. "Unless … maybe Kim could call in a favor?"

Bonnie certainly didn't want her co-captain coming to the rescue. _She's big-heady enough with her 'world saving,' she'd _so_ lord it over me all year._ "This pool at Ner–Kevin's … you've seen it?"

"Oh, you betcha. Steve brought me to the Gubermans' Memorial Day party. It was such a blast! I wore my red bikini, and their doctor friends couldn't take their eyes off me. This one older guy—I think he was a dermatologist or something, so you'd think he'd be used to seeing a lot of skin—he actually walked into the pool with his plate of food. And the women, oh you should've seen the nasty looks they kept giving me …"

_Blondes!_ Bonnie thought. _What is it with them?_

"… when they weren't busy drooling over Steve's –"

"Jess!" Bonnie interrupted. "Could we focus, please? _The pool?_"

"… Anyway, it's a good-size pool, there must have been, like, a dozen couples and a few singles at the party, and there's a big flagstone patio with a barbecue and room on the lawn for a volleyball net or something. And Kev's 'rents are pretty cool, I doubt they'd hassle us."

"Huh. Sounds like it could work. You think you could call T and get her to ask him?"

"I could … or you could call her yourself. She was just saying the other day she hasn't talked to you in a while …"

* * *

Tara and Kevin were heading back to town after another morning of hiking in the hills, when Tara's phone rang. She checked the display.

"Bonnie? Wow, talk about your blast from the past. She hasn't called me for weeks." She answered the call. "Hey Bonnie."

"Tara, I'm like, so glad I caught you. We have a major squad crisis here. They closed the picnic area at the lake, we need someplace to hold the party on Sunday."

"Oh no, what happened?"

"I don't know, something about frogs. And jellyfish. Anyway, Jess said your … friend has a pool at his house …?"

"Oh, Kevin? Yeah, he does. You want to ask him?"

Bonnie could be heard saying "No! Tara! Wait!" as she held the phone out to Kevin.

"Here, Kev," Tara said, grinning mischievously, "Bonnie wants to ask you something."

Kevin took the phone. "Uh, hello?"

"Um … hi … Kevin. Listen, you could really do the cheer squad a huge favor. We need a new place for our party on Sunday, and your pool sounds perfect."

"The cheer squad party at my house? Huh. Well, I don't see why not. Lemme ask the 'rents, and get back to you."

"Yeah … like, thanks … Kevin."

Kevin closed Tara's phone and handed it back to her. She was still grinning. "What are you smiling about? And why'd you make me talk to her, anyway?"

"Hey, if Queen Bonnie needs a favor from a 'chess nerd,' I thought she ought to ask him herself. How's it feel to be so important?"

"Weird."

"I'll bet. Well, we're nearly at my house. Why don't we drop off the backpack, I'll grab a swimsuit, and we'll go to your place for a swim. Maybe your parents will be around and we can ask about the party."

"Sounds like a plan. You gonna wear the suit you bought the other day?" he said hopefully.

Tara gave him a playful shove. "Nuh uh, you'll see that one Sunday—_maybe_."

At Tara's house, they first went to the kitchen for a cold drink. There they found her mom typing on her laptop.

"Hi, kids," Jill Monroe said, glancing up. She returned to her work, but then looked up again at Kevin and smiled broadly. Instead of his usual baggy t-shirt, he was wearing a new Coco Mango tank top Tara had bought for him at Club Banana, which showed off his new muscle tone. "Wow, Kevin, you're looking good in that top. Your exercise program is really starting to pay off."

"Thanks, Mrs. Monroe," Kevin said, blushing.

Tara went to her room and quickly packed a tote bag before rejoining Kevin in the kitchen. "See you later, Mom," Tara said. "We're going to Kevin's to jump in the pool."

"Bye, kids," Jill said. "Oh, wait a sec, Tara. Your dad said you and Kevin should stop by and see him if you came back. He's in the garage."

"Huh, what that's about?" Tara wondered.

"Probably wants to show me some new power equipment," Kevin said. "Something that can turn me into a pile of Kevin nuggets if I step over the line with his 'Buttercup.'"

"Shut, you!" Tara said teasingly. "Daddy likes you."

They found Mark Monroe cleaning out the cab of his pickup truck.

"Hi kids," he said. "Say Kevin, your folks have a fireplace at home, don't they?"

"Yep. There's two: one in the family room and one in their bedroom."

"You think they'd like some wood? I've got some nice seasoned hardwood here, already split, but none of my usual customers want it. If you kids load it on the truck, I'll give it to them for nothing. I'll run you both over there as soon as you're done."

Kevin agreed, and they set to work as Tara's dad went inside the house.

Tara clambered up into the truck bed and stacked the split logs that her BF handed up to her. Dreaming of winter study dates in front of the fire, she wondered if the roaring flames would warm her as much as the sight of Kevin's sinewy physique was at that moment.

When they finished, she hopped down. "Mmm, my hunk," she said flirtatiously, squeezing his arm. "Good to see these muscles do more than just impress the babes."

"Yeah, right," Kevin scoffed. "If I'm such a hunk, how come Steve still won't tell me how much weight you benched last winter in that contest?"

Tara blushed. "The squad's showdown with the other girls' teams? You heard about that?"

"A little bit," he said, running his hands over her toned arms. "Second place, huh?"

She blushed even redder. "I really shouldn't have tried to lift as much as Valerie, I could've hurt myself. I just got so mad, the way those girls were dissing our squad. We showed 'em, though. But you shouldn't judge yourself against me, I've got genetics on my side. You've seen how strong my dad is. Besides, you've toned up nicely in just a few weeks."

"You really think so?"

"Most def. You heard what Mom said before. And Jess agrees too." She grinned slyly, and gruffly mimicked an actor from an old movie they'd watched that week. "There's not much meat on ya, but what's there is cherce."

Kevin chuckled. "Well, I _might_ try arguing with one beautiful blonde, but no way am I taking on three of them."

Tara moved even closer. "Smart boy …" She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a long, intense kiss.

"Ah, good, you're done loading," Mark Monroe said. "You should have called me."

"We were just about to, Daddy," Tara said brightly.

They climbed into the cab of the truck for the drive to the Gubermans' house.

* * *

The elder Gubermans were enjoying the afternoon outdoors when the truck pulled into their driveway. Phil was perusing _Golf Digest_, and Dr. Donna Warren was talking on her cell, the latest issue of _Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine _open on her lap.

"Yes, Dr. Wong … okay, _Wanda_ … Yes, I'm very much looking forward to the experience. That's right, Dr. Cook and Dr. Possible briefed me over lunch … Yes, I'll be ready to go tomorrow."

She waved as she saw Mark Monroe and the two teens begin to unload the firewood and stack it in a neat pile. Phil got up and went to the kitchen, returning with a pitcher of lemonade and some plastic cups.

Donna finished her call and set down the phone.

"So, it's all set for tomorrow?" Phil asked.

"Yes, it's the best time. The weather looks good for tomorrow and Monday, and my private patients should be able to do without me over the holiday weekend."

With the wood put away, Kevin led the two Monroes to the pool area. "Hi, Mom, Dad. Mr. Monroe gave us some real nice firewood. Isn't that great?"

"How much do I owe you, Mark?" Phil asked, reaching for his wallet.

Mark waved him off. "Don't worry about it, Phil. Tell ya what, I ever need any brain surgery, you can return the favor then—assuming there's anything in here for you to work on after all those years of football," he joked, tapping his blond head.

"Thanks, Mark," Donna said, pouring lemonade for the guests. "We'll make good use of it."

"My pleasure," Mark replied.

Kevin took a drink, and then looked at his parents. "Hey, it's good you guys are home. I need to ask if I can have a party here on Sunday. Tara's squad was supposed to have their end-of-summer bash at the lake, but they just found out they can't have the area, and they're really desperate."

Donna and Phil exchanged looks. "The whole cheer squad … partying … here …" Donna said, high school flashbacks filling her head.

"And boyfriends," Tara said. "Maybe twenty kids, max."

"They're really pretty good girls at heart, Donna," Mark offered. "Maybe not all as perfect as my Tara here … but good girls." (Bonnie really had Mark fooled.)

Donna shrugged. "Well, I guess it's your dad's call, Kevin," she said. "I actually won't be here. They want to send me up to the space station for the weekend."

"For real?" Tara said. "That is so badical! Kim and Ron went up there once."

"Yes, they want me to just experience space so I'll know what it's like."

"Excellent!" Kevin said. "So, what about the party, Dad? We really need to know like, yesterday."

"Hmm, I don't know …"

"Oh, be a sport, Phil," Mark said, "let the kids do it. The cheer squad's party is a Middleton High legend. I got together with Tara's mom at the one twenty years ago."

"Well, I guess it's okay …"

"Thanks, Dad!" Kevin said.

"Thanks, Dr. G!" Tara said, "I swear, you won't regret it!" _Bonnie, if you make a liar of me, you're a dead woman …_

to be continued …


	13. Chapter 13

Hello again, readers. Chapter 13 is here. Just a few last-minute preparations and machinations to bring us up to the big cheer squad party.

Many thanks to everyone who's reading, and to the reviewers of chapter 12: cpneb, ZK Chromedragozoid, spectre666, CajunBear73, Joe Stoppinghem, pinkymint, K-Dog the Fire Beast, calamite, JPMod, daywalkr82, whitem, Trombe, MrDrP, Jeriddian, DuffKilliganFan, CastaS, Kradeiz, Commander Argus, Dr. J0nes, and dartblade.

Special thanks to my beta reader, MrDrP, for his excellent advice.

Disclaimer: Disney owns Kim Possible and these characters.

* * *

**Mating Games**

by  
_campy_

Chapter 13

Saturday noon, and Bonnie was still in need of two or three more boys to come to the squad's party. With the beach closed, the best place she could think of to look for prospects was Middleton High—there were sure to be athletes at the sports fields getting ready for the start of school in a few days. She decided to call the other unattached cheerleaders to help her scout. They could find some guys they were interested in, while Bonnie looked for someone willing to make a move on Tara. First she called Liz, who had other plans. Then she tried Hope, who had a surprise for her.

"I just started seeing a new guy, Bonnie. I'll be bringing him to the party," Hope said when Bonnie phoned her.

"Oh? Who –?"

"Uh, Sorry, B, gotta go. Mom's calling me. See you tomorrow." The other girl ended the call.

Bonnie had a bad feeling as she scrolled through her contacts list. "Please, not another loser or nerd," she muttered to herself. "Two is way more than enough."

The third girl, Marcella Reyes, eagerly agreed to meet Bonnie. They decided to go jogging at the school track, always a great way to attract male attention.

After running a few laps and waving at several groups of boys engaged in various sports, the two girls stretched on the grassy infield. "So, you're a free woman again, Bonnie," Marcella noted.

"Yeah, I told Brick we should see other people while he's at State," Bonnie replied. "I can always hook up with him again if he comes back a big star, but I don't want to go dateless all semester."

"Well, I think I'd like to ask Tony over there to the party," Marcella said, nodding toward some boys kicking around a soccer ball nearby. "He's lookin' fine this year."

Bonnie lowered herself into a bent-leg split. "Tony's good. Probably won't be a huge star, but a decent soccer player."

She switched positions to put her other leg in front. "This is such a weird year. It's hard to figure who's going to be popular."

Marcella nodded. "True. We lost so many sports stars to graduation, no way to know who'll step up 'til the games get under way."

"Yeah. There's only three sure bets in our class that I can see, and the squad has two of them locked up already: Crystal's BF, Craig, in lacrosse, and Steve in baseball … and of course, there's Jason in hoops—who should still be with Tara as far as I'm concerned."

"So who are you asking for yourself, Bon?"

"No one in particular. I'm really waiting to see who the new quarterback will be. If it's Kyle Monson, I am so taking him away from Miss Stick Figure Hadley."

"Oooh, yeah," Marcella commented. "Kyle is _muy sabrosa_."

"He's tasty, all right," Bonnie said, getting to her feet. "Well, why don't you go invite Tony, and I'll go inside and check out the gym. I think I hear some activity in there."

Bonnie went in and spotted several boys shooting baskets—including the one she'd been hoping to find. If there was anybody who had a grudge against Tara's new flame, it was her old one, Jason Morgan.

She leaned against the door frame, one hand on her outthrust hip, and it wasn't long before she was noticed. After some prodding from his teammates, Jason ambled over to her.

"Hey, Bonnie. Lookin' good."

"So are you, Jason," Bonnie said coquettishly. "How's your summer been?"

Jason's face darkened briefly. "Okay," he said.

"Listen, Jason, let me cut to the chase. I think it's such a shame how you and Tara ended things. She's really regretting how she treated you, and I bet she'd like it if you came to the squad's beach bash tomorrow."

"Oh? Tara dump the midget?"

"Not exactly," Bonnie said, "but I'm pretty sure his sell-by date is coming up soon."

Jason stroked his chin. "I don't know. I mean, sure, Tara's cute and all, but she's kinda full of herself. Doesn't really know how to treat her man." His hand moved to the wall above Bonnie's shoulder, and he leaned in close to the teal-eyed brunette. "I was thinking now that the Brickster's out of the picture maybe you and I should get together, Bon."

Bonnie forced herself to keep smiling. Jason really wasn't her type; she much preferred the beefier football player build to the taller, leaner hoopsters. Besides, deep down she felt there was something just … _eww_ … about Jason. But that didn't mean he couldn't be useful. "Gee, Jason, I don't know. I mean, Brick just left for college the other day. It's most def something to think about. I mean, what girl wouldn't want to date a big, handsome superstar like you?"

Jason beamed.

"But we really have to do something about Tara first. I don't like what that nerd is doing to her, hiding her away from all her old friends. There's just something wrong there. It's like a bad teen movie. I think if you came to our party, Tara might begin to realize her mistake."

"Well, I guess I could come and try to talk to her … and I've been looking forward to giving Shrimpy a piece of my mind for a long time … but if I go near him, his buddy Farley will be all over me …"

_Sheesh! Is this really the best I have to work with?_ Bonnie thought. "Oh, I have a feeling Steve won't be a problem. He'll be distracted," she said, grinning slyly. "Jess, bikini … do the math …"

"Well, no guy with any sense turns down an invite from you, Bon. Count me in."

Bonnie told him the time and place, and then went back out to rejoin Marcella. Jason ambled back to his basketball buddies.

"So?" one of the boys asked.

"She invited me to the cheer squad party," Jason reported.

"Oh man, first Monroe, now Rockwaller? Morgan, you lucky dog!" another said, high-fiving the tall forward.

A third boy slapped Jason on the back. "The Big J, gettin' it on with both of the Pneumatic Duo! The hottest of the hot!"

"Dunno about that, dude, you seen Possible lately?" … "Or Sundstrum, in that black bikini?" … "Give me Hope!" … "All those girls are total babes!" others added.

The conversation continued in that vein for a while; when it faded out, one boy held up a basketball and spun it on his fingertip. "So, we done enough here today?"

"Yeah, it's too hot in here," Jason said. "Let's go to my house. I could go for a cold brewski."

* * *

"_Price check on Doctor Fusion action figures …"_

Bonnie winced as yet another announcement came over the Smarty Mart PA system. _Aughh! Can't I have one minute without that infernal voice assaulting my ears! _She'd grumbled and groused her way to the gigantic store, all the way up the snack foods aisle and down beverages as she loaded up her cart with supplies for the party, and now as she waited to check out.

Bonnie hated everything about the big discount store—but teen boys, especially athletes, have bottomless pits for stomachs, and snacks and sodas cost twice as much elsewhere, so she'd had to make the sacrifice. At least the food aisles were located far away from the clothing department, so she didn't have to look at what passed for teen fashions in this retail purgatory. She shuddered at what those might be like. Bad enough she'd caught a glimpse of some red-vested drone in Housewares who looked just like Mr. Barkin ...

She'd tried to push this chore off on one of the other girls, but had been rebuffed, and she was still peeved. "Another thing Kim Possible is going to have to answer for when I become sole captain," she muttered to herself, as she skimmed the _Weekly Wonder_'s story about Starlet and Camille Leon's latest antics. "She's got those girls totally spoiled. This business of the captain doing more work than anyone else is just wrong. _'Bonnie, you collected the money, you have your own car, why don't you just go buy the stuff and run it over there yourself?' _Like I have time for this!"

In truth, though, she had plenty of time. After her run yesterday, she'd hit the day spa for a salt glow and kelp wrap, so her tanned skin was all ready for the big bikini display. All she had to do was swap the lilac tank top and white shorts she was wearing for her new swimsuit and cover-up and she'd be all set for the party that afternoon.

The line moved a bit more; now she was almost at the register. Maybe she'd make it out of here without anyone she knew seeing her –

"Bonnie! Glad to see you've joined the ranks of the smart shoppers!"

Or not.

She lifted her gaze to look at the goofily grinning blond boy in gray cargo shorts and Zombie Mayhem t-shirt who was inspecting her cart. "Well, if it isn't Kim Possible's bargain-bin boyfriend. What are you doing here, helping K pick out her fall wardrobe?"

"Nah, KP had Monique help her with that." Ron gestured toward Bonnie's loaded cart. "Badical assortment of snackage you've got here, Bon-Bon. I approve."

Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket. "Snackage! Yum!" he chirped, and he leapt up into Bonnie's cart.

Bonnie grabbed the mole rat by the tail and flung him at Ron. Rufus managed to arrest his flight by hooking a claw on Ron's shirt and pulled himself onto the boy's shoulder, from which perch he blew a raspberry at the brunette.

"I can't tell you how much your approval means to me, Stoppable. Oh wait, I can: _Less than nothing._ Now, keep your freaky pet away from this stuff. It's for the cheer squad party."

"Oh right, the big bash. The Ronster and his bon-diggity GF are ferociously amped for it. We'll be there with bells on. Well, we won't actually be wearing bells … I mean, I could, if I wanted to … I do have a Snowman Hank sweater with real bells sewn onto it … it's not the kind of thing I'd wear to a pool party, though … someone might sic the fashion police on me!"

Rufus clutched his sides and laughed hysterically at his human's joke.

Bonnie let out an exasperated sigh. "Stoppable, you are so—"

"_Attention Smarty Mart shoppers! Brainstorm in Aisle Twenty-two! Compact fluorescent light bulbs …"_

"Ooh, sorry Bonnie, love to stay and chat some more, but Rufus and I gotta get in on that action. We're all about saving the world's energy. See you at the party!" Ron raced off, weaving through the crowd of shoppers like a football running back dodging tacklers.

"What does it say about this place, that that loser actually seems to fit in here?" Bonnie mused as she returned her attention to the _Wonder_. Then it was finally her turn at the register.

The drive to the party site brightened her mood somewhat. She loved the admiring glances she drew in her new car on this beautiful, sunny day, with the top down and her brunette tresses flowing in the wind. "I guess it can't hurt to see what we have to work with at Nerd Boy's," she admitted. She turned onto Aspen View Road and headed up the hill; soon she was pulling into the driveway of the farmhouse. Once out of her roadster, she climbed the porch stairs and rang the front door bell.

No one answered, so she rang it again. _Come on,_ she thought impatiently.

After waiting another minute without result, she went back down the porch steps and walked along the driveway. Reaching the end, she could see over the fence to the pool area behind the house. She noticed someone cleaning the pool, a tanned, brown-haired boy clad only in khaki shorts.

A smile formed on Bonnie's lips as she watched as the boy vacuum the bottom of the pool. _Ooh, now I'm glad I made this trip. Pool Boy's kinda cute. _He was slim, but with nicely toned arm and back muscles.

The boy turned slightly and noticed her, and she saw his face. _Whoa! That's Nerd Boy! What's going on here? He didn't have those lats at the lake last month._

"Oh! Hi, Bonnie," Kevin said. "You got the snacks for the party? Tara called and said you'd be bringing them by."

"Uh, yeah," Bonnie said. "Come get them out of my car."

"Sure thing," Kevin said, setting the long-handled pool vac aside. "Just let me find my shirt –"

"Oh, don't go to any trouble on my account, Kevin," Bonnie said. "I've seen guys with their shirts off before. Just get over here and unload my car."

Kevin shrugged and headed toward her. Once he opened the gate, he saw the white convertible with the large pile of Smarty Mart purchases in the back seat. "Sweet ride, Bonnie. Yours?"

The tanned brunette nodded. "Yeah, a divorced parent guilt bonus. I just picked it up a few days ago."

Kevin hefted two large bags stuffed with snacks and carried them back to the picnic table by the pool. As he passed in front of her, Bonnie could see that he'd grown slightly taller since the day at the lake, too. He now stood a hair higher than her own five foot six. She picked up a bag of nacho cheese flavored popcorn and followed, checking out Kevin's new muscles all the way.

_Not too bad at all. If he was about eight inches taller, and worked out for five or six more months, he'd be well on his way to hotness. But he's still a nerd._

Kevin put his bags down on the table and Bonnie set her burden down too, then she sauntered over to the edge of the pool. Slipping off one of her flip-flops, she dipped her toes in the water. "You can get the rest," she said over her shoulder to Kevin. "Big, strong boys carry things, not delicate girls."

"I'll remember that if any delicate girls show up," Kevin said under his breath as he went back to the car to get the rest of the snacks.

Bonnie looked out over the water and the scenic view of the surrounding hills. _Quite the setup here. I can see why Tara was so hard to find all summer. And Nerd Boy … buffer, tanner, longer hair … I think he's starting to believe his hype. Bet I can shake his confidence, though. _

When Kevin finished unloading the car, Bonnie returned to the table. "It's so sweet of you to let us use your pool, Kevin. We would've had to cancel the party otherwise."

"No prob. I know Tara was looking forward to it."

"Yeah, T does love to flirt with the hotties." Bonnie gestured toward the sliding doors. "So, there's a room the squad can use, right? Some of the girls may want to bring their suits and change when they get here."

"Sure, there's a spare bedroom you guys can use."

"Great. And your 'rents won't be bothering us too much?"

"Don't worry, Bon. My mom's out of town," he glanced up to where the space station orbited high above, "and Dad'll probably watch baseball. Or golf. Or both."

"Glad to hear it. Some parents don't seem to realize we're practically adults now." Bonnie let her gaze drop down to Kevin's bare chest and stomach and smiled wolfishly. "Well, guess I don't need to ask what you've been up to these past few weeks. You've got the beginnings of a nice little bod going on there."

Kevin blushed. "Yeah, I've been lifting with Steve three times a week."

"I bet Tara likes the results."

"She's been very supportive, taking me for trail runs in the hills and stuff."

"Oh, so this was all her idea. That fits, T's always liked her beefcake. It figures she'd put you on a workout program …"

"That's not the reason. It was my idea … mostly."

Bonnie arched an eyebrow. "Mostly?"

"Well, when I realized how into exercise Tara was …"

The shapely brunette began to laugh. "R_iii_ght. Let me guess, she batted those big blue eyes at you and told you she liked you just the way you were, but somehow an extreme makeover still seemed like the Best Idea _Ever._ Oh yeah, she's good."

"Tara did not manipulate me, Bonnie," Kevin said indignantly.

"Oh no, of course she didn't … not consciously. Tara's just so darn sweet and sincere, it just sorta happens. Now me, I can manipulate a BF and he'll never know I'm doing it. But only T can do it without even realizing it herself."

"Look Bonnie, I know you don't like the idea of Tara and me …"

Bonnie's teal eyes opened wide. "Oh, that's not true at all, Kevin. Okay, sure, I was surprised at first when I found out, but that's 'cause I thought she and Jason were so good together. But I see now you're a cool guy. I can see you being really popular next year after you and T call it quits."

"Not gonna happen, Bon-Bon."

Bonnie bristled at his use of her nickname, but kept her composure. "Oh come on, Kevin, be sensible. You've had Tara pretty much to yourself all summer, but what do you think is going to happen when school starts in a few days? Just like every year, she's going to be hit on by every hottie in school. I think she dated sixteen different guys last year, you really think you're going to be The One now and forever?"

Kevin looked uncomfortable. "Well …"

Sensing weakness, Bonnie continued. "Besides, it's not like you won't have your own options. Being a Tara ex, and with the new look, you'll rank way higher on the Food Chain than you used to. You might even land a cheerleader, I can name two or three girls from our JV squad who'd give you a test drive. Provided Tara gives you a good report … which I'm sure she'd do, she hardly ever talks down her exes. As long as you don't, like, go all stalker-ish and boil her bunny or something, you should be fine."

Kevin shook his head. "I don't think you know Tara as well as you think you do, Bonnie."

Bonnie grinned her predator's grin. "We shall see, won't we? Well, I have to go home and make myself even more beautiful for the hotties. Later, _G-man_."

* * *

"Bye Mom, Daddy, I'm off to the beach bash. See you tonight," Tara called, on her way out the front door. 

"Bye, sweetie. Have fun at the party!" Jill Monroe said, coming to the foyer from the kitchen.

"Call me if you need a ride back," Mark Monroe added as the door shut behind his daughter.

Tara walked quickly along the now familiar route to her BF's house. She'd planned on arriving early to help him with any last minute setup, and maybe get in some private fun (read: kissing) before the rest of the squad and the others arrived.

Switching her tote bag from right hand to left, she looked down at it. The bag contained her towel, coverup, sunscreen, and two bikinis. Why two? Because her desire to upstage Bonnie in the bikini contest came and went from moment to moment. She was determined that Kevin would get to see her in the new black one before the summer weather fled the area, but she was reluctant to show off so much skin to a crowd of boys. The only decision she'd made so far was to put the decision off to the last possible moment.

She reached the farmhouse and let herself in to the pool area through the back gate. She saw Kevin setting some bowls on the picnic table. "Hey there, hotness," she said, giving him a quick kiss. "I came early to help set up."

"Hi, Tara," Kevin said. "I think everything's ready. The sodas are in the ice, chilling, and I've got these bowls for the chips and stuff, we just have to open the bags when people get here."

"So Bonnie was here already?"

Kevin sat down on one of the poolside lounges. "Oh yeah, Bonnie was here, all right."

"Uh oh, what's with the tone? Did she say something?"

"She was going on about how you're sure to dump me once school starts and the hottie jocks start coming on to you."

Tara opened and closed her mouth twice before finding her voice. "Oooh, that girl is so in for it now!" She sat next to him and put her arms around him. "Please don't believe her, Kevin. I'm done living by Bonnie's rules, I'm your girl now. I am off the market. I'm so far off the market, I'm out of the market's area code …"

"Tara, shush, it's okay" he said, resting one hand on her hip and rubbing her back with the other. "I know she was just trying to mess with me. It didn't work. I accept that you like me. I may not totally understand it, but I accept it."

"Oh," she said. "That's good. So I don't need to reassure you?"

"Nah. I'm good."

She looked down at her lap for a moment, then turned her azure eyes back on him. "Well … can I reassure you anyway?"

"Hmm, guess it couldn't hurt," he said, pursing his lips to accept her kiss.

They were still kissing when they heard doors open and close in the driveway. Getting to their feet, they saw Jess and Steve getting out of a blue SUV bearing "Farley's Frozen Rope" logos on its doors. Their friends came through the gate hand in hand, with Jess toting a bag similar to Tara's.

"Hey guys," Tara said, before spotting the sullen expression on Jess's face. "Something wrong, Jess?"

"Yeah," Jess said. "Steve's just dropping me off, not staying. He just found out he has to miss the party."

"Oh no! What's the prob?"

"One of our employees flaked on us," Steve replied. "We've got a T-ball team party starting soon, and I've got to be there for it."

"That tanks," Kevin said.

"Well, I really just have to miss the beginning. I'll be done by four. But I want you guys to make sure Jess has a good time until I get back."

"_Pfff._ As if," Jess muttered.

Steve put his hands on her hips and pulled her close. "C'mon, Jess, don't be like that. You've got the sun, the pool, your friends, and I'll be back as soon as I can." He tipped her chin up and softly kissed her pouting lips. "Look, I have to get back to work. Just remember: the other guys can look at that slammin' bod of yours, but only the BF gets to touch, 'kay?"

Jess managed a smile and toyed with his thick, dark locks. "You betcha, slugger," she said huskily, and she kissed him back, meaning it.

With difficulty, Steve managed to get away and back into the truck, and with a wave backed out of the driveway and drove away.

Jess bonelessly poured herself into the lounge Tara and Kevin had vacated, put on her sunglasses and let out the kind of sigh that only a teenage girl can.

Tara looked at her squadmate, then at her boyfriend, then at her wristwatch. Noting the time, she cleared her throat and declared, "It's almost party time. We should probably change into our suits and get ready, Jess." It was easy to see that Jess wore nothing beneath her backless, plunging halter top, and there was little chance her bikini bottom was under her short-shorts.

With another long-suffering sigh, Jess stood up, grabbed her own bag, and followed her friend into the house.

Kevin followed the girls into the room he'd set aside for them. "Hey, Tara, wait a sec," he said. "You told me you guys usually get your coverups from your jock boyfriends, right?"

"Uh huh," Tara said.

Kevin picked up a blue t-shirt he'd left on the room's chest of drawers earlier. "My grandma Guberman back east gets a little confused sometimes. She sent me this shirt last year thinking a size XXL would fit me." He unfolded it and showed it to her. Large letters spelled out 'Chess Players Make Better Mates' across the front. "You can wear this if you want."

Tara beamed. "It's perfect! Thanks!" she gushed, and threw an arm around him and kissed him.

"You're welcome," he said, grinning.

"Okay, changing now," she said, motioning for him to leave. "Shoo, shoo."

"Oh! Right. Gotcha," said a furiously blushing Kevin, and he backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Jess started to take her gear out of her tote, then sat on the bed. "I don't see why I should bother with this," she said. "What's the point of staying here without my BF? Maybe I should go back and help Steve with the party."

Tara couldn't quite stifle a giggle. "You? With a bunch of little kids?"

"What? I'm good with kids!"

"Um, Jess? Remember freshman year? Health class?"

Jess glared at her friend. "So I dropped my flour sack a couple times! That means nothing!"

"Uh huh. Meant a lot to poor little 'Wheatney'. Anyway, you should stay. The whole gang will be here … and the boys will want to see your bikini."

"Ha," Jess scoffed. "Steve would, no one else cares. They want to see you and Bonnie, I'm just 'the other blonde.'"

"Jess! That's so not true!"

"Sure it is. Sometimes I'm 'the one with the freckles.' At least they stopped calling me 'the flat-chested one.' I was really tired of hearing that."

"Oh come on, Jess, that was freshman year. Weren't you just telling Yvette how the boys at Mad Dog Picnic were drooling over your bikini? Even with Bonnie right there? You're hot, Jess, and Steve's far from the only guy who thinks so. Besides, I need you here today. Someone has to keep me from kicking Bonnie's biscuit."

"Oh, there's a real incentive," Jess said snarkily, but she began to undress as Tara unpacked her tote bag. "So, what'd Queen B do this time?"

"She was playing mind games on Kevin this morning when she dropped off the snacks, trying to make him think I'll dump him for a jock soon."

"Wow, that girl just never gives up, does she?" Jess commented as Tara laid her new black bikini out on the bed. "Well, if you ask me, showing her up with your new bikini will hurt her worse than kicking …" She tailed off as Tara then spread out her orchid print bikini next to the black. "Uh, T, why'd you bring that suit?"

Tara sighed. "I'm thinking of wearing it, and saving the new one for when it's just Kevin and me. I just wouldn't feel comfortable in the new one in front of so many people. I mean, if it was just the BFs, that'd be okay. Steve, Craig and Ron would be cool. But the extra boys … does anyone even know who Bonnie invited?"

Jess had her swimsuit top on and was just beginning to remove her shorts when she looked up, blue eyes open wide. "Oh! That reminds me, I meant to tell you earlier …"

"What?"

"I heard a rumor at the Rope just before we left … someone said Bonnie invited Jason Morgan."

Tara looked stricken. "She didn't!"

Jess nodded. Then the two girls heard the sounds of car doors and voices outside. People were arriving for the party.

_to be continued …_


	14. Chapter 14

Hi all, and welcome to chapter 14. This should be the last one before the grand finale. Fun in the sun with the cheerleaders in bikinis, does it get any better than this? Don't answer that.

Thanks to all readers and to the reviewers of chapter 13: DuffKilliganFan, cpneb, Trombe, ZK Chromedragozoid, daywalkr82, whitem, MrDrP, AtomicFire, Jeriddian, Joe Stoppinghem, CastaS, continental-line, and dartblade.

Special thanks to MrDrP for beta reading.

Disclaimer: Disney owns most of these characters. Including that red-haired one who hasn't been in this story very much, Kim … Something-or-Other.

* * *

**Mating Games**

by  
_campy_

Chapter 14

Tara and Jess quickly finished changing into their swimsuits and cover-ups and went back out to the pool. Liz, Crystal and her boyfriend Craig were the early arrivals, along with two of the 'extra' boys: a golfer named Logan, who Liz was hoping would be her next BF, and a football player named Todd. Liz and Crystal were already dressed for the party, so the eight teens just stood around chatting for a while.

Soon a shiny, metallic bronze Jaguar sedan pulled up and disgorged a redheaded girl and a blond boy. "Thanks for the lift, Dad!" Kim Possible said through the open window after shutting the door, and the Jag drove off. Hand in hand, the couple joined the rest of the group.

Greetings were exchanged all around, then Crystal dropped her gaze to the large tote bags Kim and Ron carried. "Looks like you guys are packed for a two-week cruise," she commented.

"Yeah, we brought mission gear," replied the redhead, who was wearing one of her boyfriend's familiar red jerseys as a cover-up. "Never can tell when something will come up."

"Ooh, I hope you don't have to leave early," Tara said. "That'd be a shame."

"I'll say," Todd said, giving Ron a slap on the back. "How often does a guy get to come to the famous cheer squad party? Right, Ron-man?"

"Heh heh, you said it, big guy," Ron said, grinning goofily and rubbing the back of his neck, before his expression turned quizzical and he turned to Kim. "Hey, how come this is my first time being invited to this thing? I'm the Mad Dog, I've been part of the squad since sophomore year. I should've been to last year's."

The girls exchanged awkward looks. "Uhhhh …" Kim said, looking at her squadmates for help. They all looked away, and the teen hero was left in an unfamiliar position—she had nuthin'. "We–elll …"

As she fumbled for a response, a late-model SUV with deeply tinted windows pulled into the driveway, its powerful subwoofers thumping out the bass line of MC Honey's first hit single. "Oh look, here come some more people," she said excitedly, pointing.

"Whoa, that is one _big_ truck. Whose is that?" Liz asked.

"Got me," Logan said.

Tara clutched Kevin's arm for security. "That's Jason Morgan's," she said in a trembling voice.

The group watched as Bonnie, Marcella, Tony the soccer player and a swimmer named Adam piled out of the truck. Then the driver's door opened and Tara's ex unfolded his long body from the seat.

Kevin put an arm around Tara's shoulders and pulled her close. "Who invited him here?"

"Bonnie. Who else?" Jess answered.

"What was that girl thinking?" Crystal wondered.

"Let's ask her," Kim said. "Wait here, Tara, I'll bring her over."

Forcing herself to smile, Kim stalked over to the new arrivals. "Hey you guys, great to see you, how's your summer been? Marcella, I love your sandals. Bonnie, come with me for a sec." She grabbed her co-captain's arm and steered her toward where Tara waited. Assuming there was squad business, Marcella followed.

"Ow, hold on, K, give me a chan–" Bonnie protested.

"Can it, B," Kim snarled, low enough so only Bonnie could hear. "You got some 'splainin' to do."

She deposited the struggling brunette in front of Tara, then turned to Craig, Todd and Logan, pointing toward the picnic table. "You guys, feel free to start getting the chips and stuff into those bowls. We need a moment here."

Realizing that the teen hero was giving orders, not suggestions, the three boys withdrew, leaving Kevin, Ron and the seven cheerleaders alone. With her BF by her side, Tara faced down her oldest friend as the rest looked on.

"Bonnie, what on Earth possessed you to ask Jason here? Don't you know I don't like him anymore?"

Bonnie had been expecting this from the moment she'd invited Jason. The new Confident Tara was not going to put her off her game this time. She affected a shocked expression. "Did you guys have a bad breakup, Tara? I swear I had absolutely no idea. You never told me the story—you've been so busy with Kevin all summer, we haven't had any chance to dish. I just assumed it was okay to invite him—you hardly ever mind if the rest of us date your exes."

Tara started to respond, but unfortunately, Bonnie had made a good point. Tara did usually stay on good terms with her exes, and rarely objected to her friends dating them. Which was good, considering how many high-status boys she'd gone out with in the past.

Seeing Tara's hesitation, Bonnie continued. "And I mean, c'mon, people, the boy is Food Chain gold. Good looking, top sports star in our class, and just look at what he's driving around in. You should've known I'd ask him. I mean, hel–_lo!_ We're talking about _me _here."

"She's got us there," Jess muttered.

"But tell you what, Tara, if you want, I'll go over there right now and tell him he has to leave. I'm totally serious, T, you just say the word and he's history."

"Spankin' idea, Bonnie," Kim said. "Do it."

Bonnie ignored the redhead and stared at Tara. "What do _you _say, Tara?"

Tara stared back at Bonnie, looked toward Jason, back to Bonnie, then cast her eyes downward. "No," she said in a soft voice, "don't do that, it would be rude to take back his invitation."

Kevin was surprised. "You sure about this, Tara?"

Tara nodded. "Yeah, Kev, I am. Unless you want him gone. It's your house …"

Kevin shook his head. "It's your call." Turning to Bonnie, he added, "Just keep him away from Tara."

"I'll do what I can, Kevin. I realize you're probably a little … insecure … around guys like Jason."

"Oh, thanks so much for reminding me, Bonnie," Tara snapped, her annoyance flaring again. "I also want to talk about the stuff you said to Kev earlier today."

"What do you mean, Tara? All I did was point out that you've dated a lot of guys. Did I say one thing that wasn't true?"

"Well, no … but that's all in the past, Bonnie. Kevin is my boyfriend now, and I'm –"

"I know, and I agree, he's quite the catch. Didn't I say that, Kevin? Didn't I tell you how good you were looking these days, how you'd have girls lining up to date you next year if things with Tara go south?"

"Well … kinda."

"There! Does that sound like I was dissing your BF, Tara?"

"I – I guess not."

"Of course not, T. We're BFFs, remember? Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. I just want what's best for you."

"Okay, Bonnie." Tara turned and beamed at Kevin as she continued, "As long as you realize that what's best for me is Kevin."

"Whatever you say, Tara."

There was a long pause, and then Crystal spoke up. "So, who are we still waiting for to start the party?"

Bonnie looked around and counted heads. "Well, all the extra guys are here …" Then she realized someone was missing. "Hey Jess, where's Steve?"

"Work. He'll be here later."

"Oh, that's such a shame," Bonnie said, suppressing a grin. _Wait 'til I tell Jason Nerd Boy's missing his bodyguard._ "Then I guess we're just waiting on Hope … and her mystery man."

"So nobody has a clue who she's bringing?" Marcella asked.

Liz shook her head. "She told me last night she wants to surprise us."

Ron smirked. "Oh, it'll be a surpri– … uhhh … did I say that out loud?"

Kim arched an eyebrow. "Ron? You know something you're not telling?"

"Who, me? Nah …" he said, refusing to make eye contact. "I – don't – know – a – thing …"

"Come on, Ron, spill," Tara implored.

"Tell us, Ron. Pretty please," Liz pleaded.

"You know you can't keep a secret from me, Ronnie," Kim said, her outthrust lower lip beginning to quiver and her eyes going round as saucers.

"Oh no! Not the Puppy Dog Pout!" he protested. He averted his eyes from Kim, only to see Tara making the same face. As was Crystal. And Marcella, and Liz, and Jess. Even Bonnie.

"Ahhh! So many Pouts!" He threw his hands in front of his face and began to back away. "How much pouting is one man supposed to take?"

"Pwease, Wonnie, tew us the secwet," the seven beautiful girls wheedled in chorus.

"Ron! Watch out!" Kevin shouted as Ron neared the edge of the pool.

But too late. Ron's right foot came down with only the toes on the flagstone patio, the heel dangling over the water. Before he could react, he felt himself falling backwards. Rufus managed to scamper out of his pocket to safety as Ron toppled into the water with a splash. The naked mole rat rolled on the ground laughing, clutching his sides in mirth.

Adam, who had lifeguard experience, hurried over to the pool, the rest of the boys on his heels, but Ron's head broke the surface and he got to his feet in the waist-deep water, sputtering.

The girls came over too; Kim smiled indulgently at her best friend/boyfriends antics.

"Ha ha, smooth move, Stoppable," Todd said.

Adam offered a hand to the blond to help him out of the water.

"Thanks, dude, but I think I'm safer in here," Ron said, waving him off. "Those girls'll make me talk if I come out."

"Relax, Ron," Kevin said. "The secret's out."

The others looked at Kevin inquiringly, then followed his gaze up to the skies above the Guberman home, where a strange object had appeared. It was a flying chair—a wheelchair to be precise, its wheels tipped horizontal and glowing blue—with two occupants, soaring over the old farmhouse and descending to the patio.

The chair settled to the ground and Hope unwrapped her arms from Felix Renton's neck and climbed off his lap. She turned to face fourteen very surprised faces—plus one grinning, dripping wet one.

"Hey, gang. Wow, I never made such a dramatic entrance to a party before. Thanks, Felix," she said, and she bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

Leaving Ron to get himself out of the pool, the crowd of teens quickly surrounded the new couple and began to pepper them with questions.

"Whoa, whoa, guys," Hope said, holding up her hands in a 'stop' gesture. "We can talk later. Right now, I think we ought to get the party officially started."

The girls moved over to the end of the pool area, away from the boys, and huddled together to set up their swimsuit show. But the subject of Hope's surprise date proved difficult to let go. With Felix wearing a tank top, the girls were seeing him in a new light.

"I never noticed before, but that boy has great triceps," Liz said. "And those shoulders!"

"Mmmm, I haven't gotten to the shoulders yet," Crystal said. "I'm still stuck on the forearms."

"They are nice arms. I like Steve's better, though."

"Of course you do, Jess," Marcella said, rolling her eyes.

"I wonder what he does for exercise?" Tara said. "I've never seen him in the weight room."

"Yeah, Wheelman has this, like, jungle gym hanging from his ceiling for getting himself in and out of his chair," came a nearby voice from beneath a towel. "It goes from his bed all the way to his bathroom. You should see him on it, he's like a monkey … only not in a _sick and wrong _way, like when that amulet turned K–"

"RON!" Kim interrupted. "What are you doing over here?"

"Had to dry off, KP."

"Well, take your towel and get over there." She pointed him toward the boys. "We have to set up … unless you were planning to be part of the show, _Mad Dog?"_

Girlish giggling ensued as Ron blushed crimson.

"Heh heh, I'll be going now," he said.

Bonnie was having trouble controlling her temper. _K and the loser, okay, anyone could see that coming. But Hope? Tara's nerd is bad enough, but at least he can walk …_ "Can we _please _get this thing started now?"

Apparently not.

"Y'know, I'm kinda surprised at your BF, Tara," Hope said. "I heard he was a skinny little guy, nobody told me he was so … buff."

"He wasn't," Jess said, grinning. "You're seeing him after six weeks of Tara's 'Build Your Own Hunk' project."

This prompted another round of giggling.

Bonnie looked ready to boil over, so Kim spoke up. "C'mon, you guys, Bonnie's right," she said. "We should get set up and start. Then we can talk about BFs all day."

Tara pointed to a spot on the far side of the rectangular pool. "I think that's a good spot for us to use, with the mountains in the background. The boys can watch from right there by the snacks."

"Okay," Bonnie said. "Now, the order …"

As the Beach Bash was a very old tradition, certain procedures and protocols had developed over the decades to determine in what order the girls would reveal their swimsuits. They started with the ones who had boyfriends, in descending order of the length of the relationship.

"Well, Crystal's been with Craig since Winter Formal …" Liz said.

"Yeah, but Steve's not here, so the 'boyfriend not present' rule says Jess goes first," Marcella pointed out.

"That's right," Hope said. "So the first five are Jess, Crystal, Kim, Tara and me."

"I'm invoking Captain's Prerogative," Kim said. "I'll go at the end."

"You still go before me, K," Bonnie said. "A co-captain without a boyfriend goes after one with, and _that …"_ she tilted her head in Ron's direction, "qualifies as a boyfriend … technically."

"Not funny, Bonnie …" Kim snarled.

Tara shot Bonnie a look. "Okay, that sets the first four and the last two. That leaves … Liz and Marcella, right?"

There was no procedure to decide between those two, so a quick round of Rock, Paper, Scissors was played. Liz won and chose to follow Hope.

The order set, Bonnie plugged her mePod into a docking station that Crystal had provided, so the music used to kick off every Beach Bash since the summer of '65—a medley of hits from The Mountain Men ("Give Me a Hand, Wanda," "Games, Games, Games," and "Colorado Girls")—could accompany them.

The boys watched in anticipation as Jessica walked to the chosen spot to lead off.

Though Jess still felt like she was considered the squad's 'other blonde' sometimes, that hadn't been true for a while, now that her figure had filled out and especially since she'd discovered Yvette's shop and begun wearing the tiniest bikinis of any teen in Middleton. She slowly unbuttoned the button-front retro baseball jersey she'd borrowed from Steve and let it fall from her shoulders, revealing her multicolored bandeau bikini. Narrow bands circled her taut, willowy body at chest and hips, leaving little to the imagination. Even though her heart wasn't in it without Steve around, there were several audible intakes of breath from the boys at the sight. She gave the boys a 'Dream on' look, then picked up her cover-up and glided back to the rest of the girls and settled onto a lounge.

Crystal stepped forward next. With a smile for her beau, the exotic-looking, jade-eyed brunette, known for her superb figure and willingness to show it off, pulled Craig's number four lacrosse jersey over her curly hair. Surprisingly, she'd chosen a white, one-piece suit today—but it was not in the least demure, most of it being mesh, strategically lined for modesty. The high-cut legs accented her curves, and the boys liked her suit as much as they'd liked Jess's.

That brought Tara up. She took a tentative step forward, fixed her beautiful azure eyes on Kevin and slipped off the chess t-shirt to reveal … her familiar orchid print bikini. But somehow, everyone could tell this wasn't the old, familiar Tara. '_Sex appeal is found in the bearing, the attitude,' _Yvette had said, and this afternoon, Tara had attitude to spare. Usually she seemed self-conscious about the attention her figure brought her, especially in swimwear. Today, she sizzled, she smoldered—and everybody knew the reason: the small, sandy-haired boy smiling back at her from across the water.

_She never looked at me like that,_ Jason Morgan thought as he stared at his ex-girlfriend, envy, covetousness and lust seething within him.

Next came Hope. Though the petite Asian-American teen was considered an exceptional beauty by a great many boys, her swimsuits were the most modest around. Her parents were very strict—it had taken a great deal of convincing by the cheer squad's advisor for them to okay her wearing the midriff-baring uniform when she'd joined the squad—and they had doubtless inspected her before they'd allowed her out of the house. So everyone was taken aback when she removed the green and gold jersey she'd borrowed from Felix to reveal a very attractive red and white striped bikini. She blew a kiss to Felix and rejoined the squad.

Liz shook her head ruefully as she took Hope's place. _And I _chose _to follow that?_

If Jessica sometimes thought of herself as the 'other blonde,' Liz certainly felt like the 'other redhead.' Kim Possible was a world famous hero, after all—and besides, Liz couldn't help feeling that her riot of carrot-colored curls and deep-set, dark eyes compared unfavorably to Kim's lustrous auburn hair and huge, emerald green orbs. But at least she was reasonably happy with her figure. Not that she was likely to make the other girls feel inadequate, but her days of passing for a tall ten-year-old were in the past. And she was pleased that Logan the golfer seemed to be returning her interest. So, with a smile, she stepped forward and shed her MHS T-shirt to reveal a navy blue bikini with white polka dots, did a little curtsey and returned to the group.

Marcella was last before the captains. Anticipation was high, as the raven-haired Latina's bikinis had heated up many a Lake Middleton summer day—and night. She unfastened the sash that held her cover-up closed and shed it to reveal a daring red and yellow salsa print suit. She shimmied her hips to the music and danced back to the squad to the delight of the audience.

Now only the co-captains remained.

Kim Possible had always considered the swimsuit show sexist—tawdry, even. The female body should be admired for its strength and agility, after all, not for how it filled out a bikini. When she became varsity cheer captain, she'd suggested they put an end to it. But she'd had to yield to the protests of the others, several of whose mothers, aunts and older sisters—even a grandmother in one case—had been cheerleaders and who wouldn't hear of changing the hallowed tradition. So, despite her well-known control-freak tendencies, Kim had been happy to let Bonnie plan the Beach Bash. The year before, she'd worn a simple one-piece suit, and the look in her emerald eyes as she removed her oversize t-shirt had promised pain to any jock who dared ogle her.

This year she had a new boyfriend, and a somewhat different attitude. She didn't mind being ogled. A little. By Ron, at least.

The teen hero took her place and looked over the assembled boys, before settling her gaze on her best friend/boyfriend. Smiling shyly, she peeled off the red jersey to reveal her bikini. Most of the boys had seen the emerald green suit at the lake already that summer, but some things merit repeated viewings. Kim Possible in a sexy swimsuit was definitely one of them.

After letting Ron and the others have a good look, she went back to the other girls.

"Feeling a little flat, K?" Bonnie asked with a smirk. "Let me show you how it's done."

Just as the tanned brunette was about to walk to the appointed spot to close out the show, though, Kim's tote bag emitted a piercing _beep beep be-beep._

_to be concluded …_


	15. Chapter 15

Yes, I'm still here. The long-awaited finale of _Mating Games_ is … not ready yet. I'm really, really sorry for dragging this out, but I'm having a great deal of trouble getting the Bonnie/Tara/Kevin/Jason confrontation that we all know is coming to flow properly. There are a lot of characters involved here, and the tone has to be just right. However, I thought I ought to give you loyal readers something after the unconscionably long delay since chapter 14. So I'm putting up the beginning of the chapter. At least you can finally see how the cheer squad's bikini show finishes.

Thanks to all readers who haven't yet given up on me in frustration, and to the reviewers of chapter 14: daywalkr82, CajunBear73, ZK Chromedragozoid, whitem, Yankee Bard, aedan cameron, MrDrP, spectre666, Zaratan, Joel Connell, CastaS, dartblade, Drakonis Aurous, Gray Cardinal, illjwamh, Sir Sebastian, rds9674, shana elmsford, and BlueEyedBrigadier.

Disclaimer: Disney owns most of these characters.

Supplementary Disclaimer (for mrs. campy's benefit): No actual teenagers in bikinis were ogled during the production of this story. Okay, maybe one. Two, tops.

* * *

**Mating Games**

by  
_campy_

Chapter 15a

_Beep beep be-beep_

Even while attending a party, Kim would not, could not ignore the call to action. She pounced on her tote bag, snatched the Kimmunicator and thumbed the answer button in one smooth motion.

Bonnie, on her way to the spot to reveal her swimsuit, stopped. "Kim! You did that on purpose to upstage me!" she whispered angrily.

"Shush, Bonnie. What's the sitch, Wade?"

Kim's 12-year-old computer wizard's eyes opened wide upon seeing her in her bikini top. "Uh … this a bad time, Kim?"

"Just a pool party, Wade," the teen hero said impatiently. "Now, tell me what you've got."

"It's Dementor. He just stole an experimental ultrasonic drill, and we think he's going to use it to break into a top-secret lab."

"And we think that, why?"

"Well, mainly because this lab's just chock-full of dangerous tech, the kind of stuff every supervillain craves," Wade took a sip of his Slurpster and went on. "And also, he left behind a 'To-Do' list with that as the next item."

"He made a 'To-Do' list?" Ron, who had joined his partner, said. "How lame. What's after the lab? 'Conquer World'?"

Wade pressed a key. "No, after the lab he has 'Call Mother.' 'Conquer World' is item four."

Ron looked skeptical. "I don't know, Wade, this sounds too trap-ish to be real. What do you think, KP? I mean, why would a supervillain make a list like that?"

"Mmm, I'd chalk it up to overly strict potty training. We better check it out. Got a ride for us, Wade?"

"They'll be at your location in about three minutes," Wade said.

Kim signed off and tossed the Kimmunicator back into her bag. She began to pull her coverup back over her head.

By this time, most of the other boys had drifted over to where the girls were and several whispered conversations had begun. Bonnie, standing off by herself, cleared her throat. "Ahem. Hel–lo? Cheer captain here, ready to show off her bathing suit."

"Oh! Right," Kim said. "C'mon, everyone, it's Bonnie's turn. Go ahead, B."

Everyone turned to look at Bonnie. Smiling saucily, she swept her teal gaze over the assembled crowd. Then, she reached for the hem of her oversized Middleton High t-shirt and began to lift it … just as the Mountain Men medley stopped playing.

"Aughh! Can someone get that?" Bonnie said.

"I got it," Felix said. "Just a sec." He rolled over to the table and manipulated the mePod's menus until the music started again. When all eyes were back on Bonnie she slowly peeled off her shirt to reveal her recent purchase from Yvette's: a tiny gold lamé bikini that glistened in the summer sunshine as she posed. It was the perfect complement to her tanned skin and brunette tresses, and displayed her flawless figure to the amazement and admiration of all, especially the boys.

Bonnie's perfect moment in the sun didn't last long, however. A large, red Global Justice helicopter swooped in, hovered low over the pool and lowered a rope ladder.

"Ride's here. Let's go, Ron," Kim said. "Great suit, Bonnie. Enjoy the party, everyone!"

Kim and Ron hooked on to the ladder and, waving goodbye, slowly rose toward the chopper, which banked and began to fly off, raising a cloud of dust and grass clippings from the Gubermans' lawn and blowing it all over Bonnie.

"Aaah!" the brunette shrieked, and she shook her fist angrily at the departing aircraft. "You did that on purpose too, Kim!"

Tara hurried over to Bonnie. "You okay, B? Oh, you've got grass and stuff all over you. Maybe you should go inside and clean up."

Bonnie shot Tara a glare and strode toward the house, the blonde following.

Kevin opened the patio door for Bonnie, and pointed the way for her. "There's a bathroom down that hall, Bonnie. Oh, wait a sec, you've got a leaf in your hair—"

"_Don't _touch me, nerd," she said icily.

"What did she just call you?" Tara said.

"Huh? Oh, um, nothing. I just, uh, told her where the bathroom was and she said she, um, heard … me."

"Uh huh. That's not what it sounded like."

Kevin grimaced, then took her hand in his and gently turned her away from the door. "Please, Tara, leave it alone. I don't want to start a fight between you and Bonnie today."

"You're not starting anything, Kevin. She is. And whatever she wants to start, I'm willing to finish."

"C'mon, Tar, let's just enjoy the party —"

"Hi Dr. G!" Tara said. Kevin turned to see his dad, cell phone in hand, at the door.

"Hi Tara, nice to see you again. Kevin, what was that racket just before?" Phil Guberman asked.

"Racket? Oh, that was a helicopter, picking up Kim and Ron. They got called away on a mission," Kevin said.

"Ah. Well, I just got a call from the medical center. Dr. Gillespie wants me to come in and look at a patient of his. Can I leave you kids alone for a couple hours?"

"Sure, Dad, no prob," Kevin said. "We'll be fine. Adam over there is a certified lifeguard, so don't worry about us."

"Thanks, Kev. Okay, Leonard," Phil said into the phone as he walked away, "I can be there in twenty minutes."

"There ya go," Kevin said to Tara. "I just told Dad everything's cool. You don't want to make a liar of me, do you?"

Tara let out a sigh and grinned at him. "Oooh, you … what did I ever do to deserve a boyfriend as great as you?"

Kevin slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Hmmm, how 'bout we start with filling out a bikini better than any girl in Middleton? Wow, you look so great today. You're definitely the prettiest one here. But I'm confused. I thought you said you bought a new suit for the party?"

Tara blushed and turned to face him, draping her arms on his shoulders. "I decided to wear this one instead. When Jess told me _he _was coming …"

Kevin glanced over at the rest of the group. Jason Morgan stood slightly apart, looking in their direction with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, well, Bonnie said she'd keep him away from you," Kevin said. "C'mon, we should join the party."

* * *

Over by the pool, the teens had begun to settle into the party groove. The 60's music had given way to something a little more this century, and the sunshine and hormones were starting to warm things up.

"So, anyone willing to call a winner in this year's contest?" Crystal asked her squadmates. "Seems to me everyone pretty much got an equal reaction."

The girls exchanged looks, nods and shrugs.

"Everyone except maybe me," Liz said, shaking her head. "I got stuck following Hope's big shocker."

"No way, Liz, you look awesome!" Logan the golfer protested.

Liz smiled at him.

"You so do, Liz," Crystal agreed. "But yeah, Hope, that's hardly your usual granny suit."

"Yeah, girl," Marcella said, "How'd you ever get that past your parents? Sneak?"

Hope, perched on the arm of her date's wheelchair, grinned. "Nope, they let me buy it. All thanks to Felix here."

"Huh?" Crystal said. "Explain, please."

"Well, it all started when Hope's dad took this job consulting with the space center," Felix said. "He's an expert on exotic alloys who's helping my mom find materials for robot applications. I've got a summer job in her lab, so he met me and decided I was the kind of guy he wanted Hope to hang out with."

"So he invited the Rentons to a barbeque last weekend," Hope continued, "and we hit it off pretty well. Then later, I'm helping my mom in the kitchen, she's going on about how smart Felix is and how he's a cinch to get into some great college like Carnegie Mellon or MIST next year, and I ought to spend some time with him. I was so surprised I didn't say anything, then she mentions that if I did, they'd ease up on the no-bikini rule a little." She smiled down at Felix affectionately. "Good thing she didn't notice me giving him my digits a half hour before."

"Your 'rents still trying to fix you up?" Marcella said. "Totally old-world. I cured mine of that habit long ago."

"Yeah, they've tried to push a few honor-student sons of their friends on me, but I always shot them down. But thanks to Kim and Tara showing the way, I was finally ready to look beyond the food chain. Some of these honor students are kinda cute."

Jess leaned forward on her lounge. "Hey, what about me?" she interjected.

The rest of the girls looked at her, perplexed. "What about you, Jess?" Crystal finally said.

"Well, _I _was the first one of us to date an honor student. Kevin's best friend, as a matter of fact. Don't I get any credit here?"

Marcella raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Jess? You're dating a sports star who just happens to get good grades."

"So?" the freckled blonde asked.

"So no, you don't get any credit," Liz said.

"Hmpff," Jess snorted grumpily, and slumped back on her lounge.

"Well, if you ask me, there's no reason to abandon the cheerleaders – jocks thing. I think we're, like, the ideal combo," Bonnie, rejoining the group, said. "We have so much in common. We both have great bods, and know how to use them." With this, she sauntered between Todd and Adam and linked an arm with each of them. "Ooh, nice triceps, Todd," she purred, pressing a well-filled triangle of gold lamé against the muscle in question. The big footballer was entranced. Adam began tensing his smaller, leaner swimmer's build perceptibly, and the other three unattached boys all visibly puffed up, unconsciously hoping to attract the eye of the bronzed seductress.

Kevin could sense Tara begin to anger. "It's cool," he whispered.

Tara clasped his hand tightly and refused to react.

"Cheerleaders and jocks just belong together," Bonnie continued. "Don't you agree, Crystal?

Crystal shot Tara and Hope a sympathetic look. She liked that her boyfriend Craig was admired for his lacrosse prowess, but she'd learned to appreciate his other qualities as well. And she knew how happy Tara was with Kevin. "Whatever floats your boat, B," she said.

"Well, I'm sure Liz and Marcella agree. Right, ladies?"

Liz and Marcella nodded reluctantly. They could see no other choice. The boys they were interested in were lost in the Bonnie Zone, and they had to join or be left out in the cold.

Bonnie grinned triumphantly and began to lead her satellites to a lounge a few yards away. "Now, which of you big, handsome studs wants to get me a diet cola?"

_more to come … _


End file.
